#so they are just sitting there trying to convince each other

[roosterforme]

Aim for the Sky Part 35 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: You're conflicted by your own words, unsure if you can stay away from your husband. There's only one person who can tell you the truth about Bradley, but she's the same one who seems to be on a quest to ruin your life.

Warnings: Angst, adult language, body image, DILF Roo, pregnancy, jealousy, mentions of cheating

Length: 3000 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female Reader

Aim for the Sky masterlist. This was written to accompany my series Is It Working For You? along with a bunch of my one-shots and other series, but it can be read on its own! Check my masterlist for the reading order.

Tramp whimpered at your feet. The muffled sound of the Bronco's door closing sent you to the front window to look out onto the driveway. It was dark, but you could see Bradley's tear-streaked face lit up by the dome light as you choked on a sob. It took everything you had to stand there instead of running to him. 

He was gripping the steering wheel of the blue Bronco, and you waited silently for the engine to start. But it didn't. He barely moved. And you barely moved. But you couldn't step away from the window even as the light inside the Bronco faded into the night. Everything was silent. Your pounding heartbeat was all you could hear as the baby squirmed around in your belly like she knew her father was too far away from her now. Minutes passed, and you sank down onto the couch, but Bradley never started the engine.

You wanted him to come back inside, but you just told him you wouldn't hesitate to take the kids and move back to Maryland with your parents. "What did you do?" you gasped as fresh tears filled your eyes. You couldn't tell if you were being strong or stupid or some combination of the two, but the longer you stared out the window, the more you realized Bradley wasn't leaving you even though you told him to.

Relief washed over you knowing he wasn't running off to Indigo. Maybe there was a way to salvage things. You couldn't take back what you said, and he couldn't take back anything he'd already done with her, but you didn't think you could stop loving him. You didn't think you could separate him from his daughters.

Your emotions were a mess as you eventually left the couch to get ready for bed. After you checked on Rose, finding her sound asleep in her crib without a care in the world, you peeked outside one more time. Bradley was still in the driveway, watching over the Craftsman and everything inside.

You took your broken heart to bed, trying your best to fall asleep through your tears.

-------------------------------

It was cold outside this late in October, but Bradley sucked it up. He was certain you knew he was still sitting in the driveway, and he didn't want to start the engine at three in the morning and startle you. Or make you think he was leaving. He wasn't going anywhere. So he let the cold surround him. 

Maybe you didn't want him in the house with you and Rose at the moment, but it was his responsibility to protect his family. And he wanted to be as close as you'd let him. Between small spurts of sleep, his mind drifted to the idea of you and Rose packing up everything in the house and moving across the country to live with your parents. It left him on the verge of panic each time. He bought the house for you. He had a family because of you. He was living beyond his wildest dreams married to you.

There was no way to convince you he wasn't lying. There was nothing he could say at this point that wouldn't sound like he was trying to cover his own ass. You could talk to Mav or Nat or Jake until they were blue in the face, but if you didn't trust him, it would sound like everyone was covering for him. Because truthfully, only he and Lieutenant Jeffries knew for sure that Bradley had never touched her.

Everything with the Navy took time. Mav was a big help, but a report would need to be written up for formal action. And now Bradley would need to notify someone about the new message Indigo sent with the world's worst timing, but meanwhile he was supposed to carry on like everything was completely normal.

As soon as daylight broke, he rubbed his exhaustion away from his eyes. He wanted to get to base to shower and change into the clean flight suit he kept in his locker, but he had to make sure you knew he spent the whole night in the Bronco first. So Bradley waited until he saw movement inside. Just a quick flick of the living room curtain, but he was sure you saw him. Nevertheless, he sent a text.

I'm leaving for work. If you want to talk, come find me, and I'll clear my schedule. We'll figure this out. We have to, because I can't live without you. I love you.

He didn't expect you to respond right away. He stretched, his body positively aching from sitting in one spot for so long before he started the engine. His stomach growled as he drove, reminding him he didn't get to enjoy what you cooked for dinner last night. He'd been missing dinner too often. It was almost Halloween, and the two of you should have been planning a costume for Rose to wear. He should have been working on an anniversary getaway for November. He'd been fucking up a lot for someone who wasn't aware he was doing it, but he certainly wasn't an adulterer. 

The locker room was empty as he changed out of his wrinkly uniform and slipped under the hot shower stream. Nothing was going to make him feel better if you didn't trust him. Once again, he thought about you throwing all your fancy kitchen gadgets in a box and leaving without a backward glance in his direction. Bradley's hands shook, and he didn't know how he'd make it through the day at this rate.

As he pulled on his flight suit, he thought about going up to your office to wait for you to arrive. But he'd end up on his knees again, begging you to stay with him, and that wasn't what you needed to hear right now. He was exhausted, but he tried to clear his mind and think of some way to convince you he would never do anything to hurt you. But if Indigo already made comments directly to you, it felt like all hope was lost.

The walk to his office was long, but not long enough for inspiration to strike. Maybe Nat could give him some advice. She'd been harping on about girl code the other day. As much as he hated to admit it, Jake might be a helpful ally right now. He was a big fan of yours, and always quick to remind Bradley he'd married way out of his league.

He settled in behind his desk, unable to look away from the wedding photo for a few minutes. You looked perfect that day. You were perfect every day. There was no doubt you'd be perfect without him, but he didn't want you going anywhere unless you took him, too.

"Fuck," Bradley gasped, lungs burning with the effort to hold back his tears. His students would be sitting down to take a practicum exam shortly. He didn't necessarily need to be there, but it would look good if he was. But he'd also have to face Indigo in the classroom. Maverick was still up in Lemoore, and he was the only one who knew Bradley filed a formal complaint.

This was all exhausting. Nausea and fatigue waged war in his body as Bradley stumbled to his feet once again. He needed something to drink. Some cold water. He threw his office door open wide and walked back up the hallway to the small lounge where he grabbed a water bottle and downed it in one go. Panting, he took a second one before slowly heading back the way he came.

He didn't even feel better as he started sweating profusely. He wanted you. He wanted you to let him hold you. He wanted to kiss Rose. 

His office door was just a few feet away when he heard her voice.

"Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw."

The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, fingers wrapping around the bottle so aggressively, he was afraid it would explode in his hand. He'd been told to keep his distance for now, but clearly Indigo was none the wiser as she followed him right inside his office.

"Sir," she said, voice bold and unbothered. "I thought we could walk to the classroom together."

Bradley spun and looked at her. He really shouldn't be surprised at this point. He also shouldn't be talking to her alone in his office, but she was standing there expectantly, blinking those eyes up at him.

"Unless you're not ready to head over yet...."

Her words trailed off as she casually reached for the door, fingers grazing the wood.

"Do not close that door," Bradley barked, surprising himself with his angry tone. Indigo's hand dropped to her side, eyes wide, but she took a step closer as he backed up until he hit his desk. He managed to set the water bottle down, chest rising and falling rapidly. He shouldn't be talking to her, but he couldn't help himself as he shook his head. "What is your problem?"

She cocked her head slightly, a hesitant smile on her lips. "Sir?"

Bradley skirted along past his desk as she tracked him. "I don't understand why you're trying to ruin my life," he hissed.

Indigo froze before bursting into delighted laughter that set his teeth on edge. "Ruin your life? I can assure you, Sir, I would like nothing more than to have a very good time with you."

Any warmth remaining in Bradley's body vanished, leaving him sweaty and shivering. "That's not appropriate," he gasped. "You're reporting to me through Top Gun, and I'm married."

She rolled her eyes and muttered, "This was a lot easier last time."

"You've done this before?" Bradley asked, eyes darting to the door and empty hallway beyond, wishing he'd just gone to your office instead. 

"I like older men," Indigo replied sweetly. "Ones with lots of pins on their uniforms. And they've always been agreeable before."

"Unbelievable," Bradley groaned, ready to throw away all of his insignia pins and run away. "Lieutenant Jeffries, I have never laid a finger on you. We've never been alone in here with the door closed, ever."

"But you wanted to. You can admit it," she whispered, reaching once more for the door.

"Are you out of your mind?" Bradley's voice shook, but it was loud enough that she froze again. "You think I would jeopardize my marriage for you? My family? The thought never crossed my mind!"

Indigo licked her lips. "I've seen your wife. She's pregnant again. And she's -"

"She's perfect," Bradley barked, eyes blazing as he glanced at the wedding photo. "Do not talk about her. Ever." He squeezed his eyes closed and squared his shoulders before glaring at Indigo. "Get the fuck out of my office."

He was afraid she wasn't going to listen, the way she stood there and stared at him in surprise. But Bradley had nothing left. His fingers were shaking, and he was sure he was going to vomit. She finally turned and marched from the room with her chin in the air, and Bradley turned to face his desk.

Panic like he never felt before filled his veins. He had no idea what he was supposed to do now as he gripped the edge of his desk and stared down at his boots. His body shook with silent sobs as he tried to catch his breath, but his brain couldn't seem to get past the fact that his life was in absolute ruins.

"Oh, God," he gasped, lifting his head in time to see his office door move a few inches. Before he could fully register what was happening, you popped out from behind it and carefully pushed it closed.

"Sweetheart?" he croaked, examining your tear-streaked cheeks before you stumbled closer to him.

Why were you in his office? You were crying, working your hands in front of your pregnant belly as you whispered, "I'm sorry, Bradley!"

When he held his arms open, you rushed into them, burying your face in his chest as you wailed. He had no idea why you were in his office, but if the end result was getting to hold you tight, he didn't need a reason. As soon as you touched him, he immediately felt better. 

"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry," you sobbed over and over, body shaking against him. "I was so scared, and I look so awful right now. And I'm just so sorry!"

"Shhh," he coaxed softly, kissing the top of your head before letting his chin rest there. "It's okay."

"No. It's not okay," came your immediate, muffled response, arms tightening around him. "I made you sleep outside. I told you I'd leave with the girls." You looked up at him, tears brimming from your eyes. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you."

Bradley shook his head, bringing his hand up to rest on your cheek. "I'm sorry I put you through this shit. This is so fucked up."

He let you cry, wiping your tears with his thumb as they fell for the longest time. He already felt like he could figure out a way to fix everything as long as you still wanted him. 

Bradley kissed your quivering lips as you started to calm down. "Please never leave me. I'm not going to stop being in love with you. Okay? I just want my girls." With one more kiss, he whispered, "And there's nothing wrong with the way you look. You're perfect."

The smallest smile found your lips. "That's what you told Indigo."

"Baby Girl, that's what I tell everybody," he promised, relieved beyond belief that you witness that miserable exchange. "What are you doing here anyway?" he whispered, keeping you snug against him as you looked up at his face. "Not that I'm complaining, but I wasn't expecting you to want to see me."

"I came to talk to you as soon as I dropped Rose off." You wiped your tears on his flight suit as you added, "When I got here, the door was wide open, so I came inside. Then I heard her voice in the hallway. I panicked and hid behind the door."

"And I couldn't be happier that you did," he whispered.

"She really wanted to close the door."

"She really did."

"I hate her."

"Me, too," he sighed, exhausted from thinking about Indigo. He let his breathing match yours, falling into a comfortable rhythm that he didn't want to let go of yet. "I have an idea. Let's go home."

"Home?"

"Yeah. Let's go get Rose from the nursery and ditch the rest of the day. I just want to go home."

Now you were the one running your hand along his scarred cheek. "You must be exhausted." When he nodded, you said, "Okay. Let's go home, and I'll take care of you."

When you tried to pull away, Bradley kept you close. "No. I'm going to take care of you. I clearly haven't been doing enough of that since I started this position. So that's going to change immediately."

"We can take care of each other," you replied easily, but you were smiling. "I just need to talk to Cat first."

Bradley groaned softly. He was already imagining the three of you at home. He would make lunch while you fed Rose, and then everyone could take a long nap. He just wanted everything to feel normal again. 

"Why do you need Cat first?"

You laced your fingers with his and started to tug him toward the door. "To get the ball rolling on Indigo's spectacular downfall."

"What?" Bradley's eyebrows shot up. "I just inadvertently managed to clear my name, and you already formulated a plan?"

You waved your free hand in the air. "It's like half a plan at best, but it's coming together." You paused. "You know what? I'll just call Cat when we get home. I'm sure we can handle it from there. I really want to snuggle with you, and I'm starving."

Bradley made sure the door locked behind him. "I am in awe of you," he murmured, letting you lead him down the hallway.

"Nobody messes with my husband."

--------------------------------

You felt alive again for the first time in weeks. You were thriving. Bradley never let you out of his sight as he made lunch and burped Rose. He put her down in her crib, wrapped you in his arms, and led you toward the promise of an afternoon nap.

"Wait, Cat's calling me back," you whispered, watching his face fall as he tried to get you to the bedroom. "It'll just take a minute."

"I can barely keep my eyes open," he murmured, kissing your cheek before you backed away. "Just come in when you're done."

You watched him turn to the bedroom, pulling his undershirt over his head as he went. The temptation of his warm body wrapped around yours was almost too much to fight, but when you thought about Indigo, you wanted to punch a hole in the wall. Or her face.

"Hi."

"Where are you?" Cat asked. "I thought I saw you in the parking lot this morning, and now you're magically nowhere to be found."

"I'm at home," you told her quickly. "Hey, how close are you to finishing the new code for the Super Hornet updates?"

There was a beat of silence. "Not that close. We aren't rolling out the updates until the end of the year. It'll ground some of the pilots."

You smiled to yourself. "I want to start doing it sooner."

"Sooner?" she asked, confused. "How much sooner?"

"Tomorrow."

---------------------------------

Hearing that straight from Indigo had to make BG feel so much better! Is this me being nicer? Beginning to mend things? Stay tuned.

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[gyeomsweetgyeom]

The Return of Superman- Jaemin

(cw: f!reader called “mama”, children)

Jaemin liked his privacy. He liked knowing that only certain parts of his life were shown, certain parts he shared, he liked having the clear distinction or public and private. He, of course, enjoyed providing content for his fans and living a dream that millions of people could only dream of.

He got the best of both worlds. He got to date you for a good few years without getting caught, he'd spent two years of newlywed marital bliss with you with only so much as a statement from his company to let the world know that he was a married man. When he was asked about you, his wife, he merely smiled and expertly evaded answering. So how did he get himself here?

What had happened in his years of famous privacy to now allow a whole camera crew into his home to film him and his daughters-- who, no one had even seen since they were posted with obscured faces in a birth announcement post 3 years ago?!

It had definitely been his management that suggested he do the show, they planted the seed in his brain, but it was you who pushed him to do it! "Come on, my love, the fans will love it. You can do just one episode and then the girls won't be seen until their 30! Come on, it'll be fun," You'd convinced him. And Jaemin, well, he wasn't a strong man when his wife was whispering so sweetly in his ear and pressing even sweeter kisses against his cheeks.

So that's how he got into this mess, at least he would have you to help him out... right, he wouldn't. Damn this show!

-

"Would you stop rubbing your head against the pillow, please?! Appa just did your hair!" Jaemin yelled in exasperation, his eyes locked on the three year old who for some reason was rubbing her head across the pillows on his bed. Meanwhile, his hands were preoccupied with the identical girl standing on a stool right in front of him.

"Well, what an introduction to the Na family," a commentator laughs while they all watch Jaemin struggle to pull one of his daughter's hair into a bun while simultaneously also trying to sweet talk the other twin to stop being a menace. He was unsuccessful.

The scene cuts to show Jaemin sitting in front of a black backdrop smiling at the cameras as he introduces himself, "Hello, I'm Na Jaemin from NCT. I have twin daughters, Taera and Sora. They're both 3 years and 5 months old and the light of my life-- along with my wife, of course. Taera is the older of the two and struggles with listening, at least to me while Sora is the better listener of the two."

The producer behind the camera asks a question and Jaemin listens intently before answering, "honestly, of the two of us, I'm the parent that let's the girls get away with a lot. She plays the authoritarian role, which admittedly, I struggle with. The girls are just too cute to get mad at!" He takes a break to think over his answer, "I do think it will be a little difficult with it being just me and the girls. Usually my wife and I are each responsible for one of the girls, and we rarely go out just one of us with both of them. It will be very interesting to see how this plays out."

-

The scene cuts to a scene of the toddlers running around the living room, hair done in tiny buns on top of their head, looking messy, though no one can tell whether that's from their running around or their dad's lack of skill. Jaemin can be seen scrambling around the kitchen filling matching purple and pink water bottles with water and tossing snacks into the bags.

"I wonder what Jaemin is getting the girls ready for..." One of the commentators adds as the girls play tag with each other, giggling wildly.

There's nothing telling quite yet, both girls are wearing matching pastel pink shirts and pink sweat pants with white socks. Jaemin wrestles them into sweaters, then their backpacks, and finally their matching Crocs. He holds one twin on each hip, making his way to the car to load them into car seats.

"Wow! He's a professional! Look at the way he carries both of them at once!" A commentator exclaims in wonder.

"Wait a second, this song sounds familiar," Another commentator adds quickly. The panel quiets down, all eyes locked on the screen to watch the girls dance around in their car seats.

"Chew-chew-chew-chew chewing gum! Chew-chew-chew-chew," the girls chant, legs kicking out as they wiggle and dance in their chairs. They look so happy, smiles plastered on their faces and Jaemin, he looks like he'd rather be anywhere else right now. His face is set in a mild frown, listening to this repetitive song that he made when he was 16.

-

The scene changes, showing Jaemin helping one of the girls into a tutu while the other, who is already dressed, twirls around laughing as her skirt flares out. "Oh my! The girls are in ballet! How cute!" One of the producers coos.

Jaemin can be seen sitting in front of the black screen once more. "Oh yes, the girls are trying out ballet. We want to get them more involved in other activities and find some way to get their energy out. They're not very... good yet, but it is only their third lesson. I think Sora might be more of a ballerina in the future, and maybe Taera will be better at something more... energetic."

True to his word, the scene cuts to show a very focused Sora following her dance teacher's instructions. Her arms are posed in front of her while in the first position. She listens intently and copies the teacher's moves, she wiggles her feet out until they point outward and extends her arm.

"Good job, Sora. That's perfect!" The teacher praises softly. Sora giggles excitedly, a blush spreading across her small, chubby cheeks.

On the opposite end of the room, her twin is jumping and reaching for the small window that allows parents to look into the small studio. Jaemin is busy taking pictures of Sora among other adoring parents to send to you when he hears a familiar sound, even muffled he'd know that sound anywhere. He casts his eyes down and catches Taera with tears in her eyes and red cheeks with her arms reaching for the window.

Jaemin jumps into action quickly, moving his way through the small group of parents around the window and enters the small room with a look of concern on his face. Taera has never reacted like this before. He pulls Taera into a hug, calming her down until her tears have stopped. He sends an apologetic smile to the teacher and she sends him a small bat of her hand as if to say, 'it's fine.' Jaemin cups Taera's face, wiping away her remaining tears with the pads of his thumbs, "princess, what's wrong?"

She lets out a shuddery breath, her tiny chest trembling while she tries to breathe in a deep breath, "I want Mama to watch me too."

Jaemin feels his heart break, pouting sympathetically at his daughter, "I want her to be here too, princess, but she'll be back before you know it. Tomorrow we can wake up early and make breakfast for her when she gets back. How does that sound?"

"With berries?" Taera asks with wide eyes.

Jaemin laughs softly, booping the girl's nose, "yes, with berries. Now, go be a good big sister and dance with Sora. We can't leave her alone can we?"

"No," She smiles, turning to run to her sister's side before she comes bounding back to Jaemin. She presses a kiss to Jaemin's cheek, "love you, Appa. Stay with us?"

Like Jaemin said, he can never say no to them. Instead of joining the rest of the parents on the other side of the small window, he finds himself following along with the teacher's instructions behind the rest of the children in the class.

His daughter's turn to look at him with the biggest smiles he's ever seen. They're so excited that he's in class with him and even more so, doing the dances with them!

The commentators coo at the scene, gushing over Jaemin being such a good dad. He raises his arms, drops them, extends them forward, and situates his feet into the right positions to follow along with the teacher.

At the very end of the episode and his girls sit in front of the black backdrop. The girls raise their arms over their heads, forming the biggest hearts their little bodies will allow. In unison, all three Na's scream out, "we love you Mama!"

Jaemin leans forward, getting close to the camera with his arms wrapped around the twins to keep them from falling, "you're not allowed to leave me alone with these monsters ever again!"

The girls giggles persist as the episode fades away, a faint, "but Appa you said we're princesses."

"Yes, baby I did say that. You're like monster princesses, do you like that?"

The girls can be heard screaming a loud, "no!" in perfect harmony.

[bloomzone]

2025 : #17 THE ULTIMATE GUIDE ABOUT PROCRASTINATION

✒️.Procrastination is more than just putting things off as all "procrastination definition" says . It’s an internal BATTLE or WAR against your own brain. When you procrastinate you're not just delaying a task you’re delaying PROGRESS. The longer you wait the harder it gets so yeah It's an endless loop of guilt stress and self-sabotage. But what if you could break that cycle? What if you could stop hiding from your tasks and actually face them head-on? but ..

ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇᴀʟ ᴘʀᴏʙʟᴇᴍ ɪs ᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ᴀᴠᴏɪᴅɪɴɢ ᴅɪsᴄᴏᴍғᴏʀᴛ

Think about why you procrastinate. It’s not because you’re lazy it’s because you’re avoiding discomfort cuz Every time you put something off, it’s because your brain perceives that task as a threat to your comfort zone. Whether it’s a project at work, school assignments, or even cleaning your room, the thought of doing it brings up feelings of discomfort, stress, and anxiety. So, your brain tells you, “ hell nah bro just put it off. do something else that feels better right now.”

the reality is that DISCOMFORT is part of the PROCESS. You don’t have to feel good to do the work In fact the more you put things off to avoid feeling uncomfortable the harder and more uncomfortable it will become later. But if you can get comfortable with discomfort, you’ll realize that starting is half the battle. Once you take the first step the rest follows.

ᴜɴᴅᴇʀsᴛᴀɴᴅɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍɪɴᴅ ᴏғ ᴀ ᴘʀᴏᴄʀᴀsᴛɪɴᴀᴛᴏʀ

procrastination is about “fear and avoidance.” You fear failure, you fear not doing a task perfectly, and you fear not measuring up to your own or others' expectations. This fear triggers the avoidance mechanism in your brain your limbic system, the emotional part of your brain that seeks to protect you from discomfort. This makes it hard to make decisions or take action when the task feels overwhelming.

Your rational brain knows you need to get the work done HE TRY TO WAKE UP U but the emotional brain doesn’t care. It wants relief and it wants it now. So, you find yourself scrolling on your phone, watching another episode, or simply zoning out (like me). The task doesn’t disappear it only grows more daunting. The longer you avoid it the worse it feels. That’s why procrastination feels like a snowball effect

ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏsᴛ ᴏғ ᴘʀᴏᴄʀᴀsᴛɪɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴ: ᴡʜʏ ɪᴛ ʜᴜʀᴛs

Every time you procrastinate, you’re paying a price. The cost is MENTAL and EMOTIONAL exhaustion. The weight of the task sits in the back of your mind nagging at you. You feel guilt, shame, and frustration for not taking action. And then that stress builds up over time.Procrastination also eats up your time. The more time you waste avoiding, the less time you have to actually get things done. When you finally force yourself to sit down and work, you have less energy and less time to do it well. This leads to rushed, sloppy work, and the cycle continues. It’s a trap that leads to more stress and anxiety. It’s like digging a hole for yourself each moment you wait, the hole gets deeper.

ᴛʜᴇ ʜɪᴅᴅᴇɴ ɪᴍᴘᴀᴄᴛ: sᴇʟғ-sᴀʙᴏᴛᴀɢᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ʟᴏᴡ sᴇʟғ-ᴡᴏʀᴛʜ

Procrastination can also impact your self-esteem (this is sick) Every time you delay, you reinforce the belief that you're not good enough or that you can’t manage your responsibilities. Over time, procrastination can feed into self-doubt. You start thinking, "I’m just not the kind of person who gets things done" or "I’ll never be able to accomplish my goals." So procrastination is a form of self-sabotage. You’re stopping yourself from reaching your potential. You have dreams, you have goals, but procrastination convinces you that you’re not worthy of success or that you don’t deserve to put in the effort.

ʜᴏᴡ ᴛᴏ ᴏᴠᴇʀᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴘʀᴏᴄʀᴀsᴛɪɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴ : ᴏᴘᴇɴ ᴜʀ ᴍɪɴᴅ ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ʀᴇᴀᴅɪɴɢ ᴛʜɪs !

1. Stop Waiting for Motivation.

Motivation isn’t something that just magically appears when you need it. It comes after you start doing the work, not before. You can’t wait for motivation to strike u have to create it

So How? By taking the first step, however small. Set a timer for 5 minutes, sit down, and start. Action creates motivation.

2. Break Tasks Into Bite-Sized Pieces.

When a task feels huge, it becomes overwhelming, and that's when procrastination sets in. Instead of thinking about the entire project, break it down into smaller, manageable parts. Want to write an essay? Start by writing one paragraph. Want to clean your room? Tackle one section. Small wins lead to bigger wins. Each time you check something off, it builds momentum.

3. Eliminate Distractions.

Procrastination thrives on distractions. The phone, the TV, social media they’re all little traps that pull you away from what needs to be done. Set boundaries. Turn off notifications, put your phone on airplane mode, and create a space where you can focus without interruptions. The goal isn’t perfection, but efficiency. SO THROW UR PHONE AWAY

4. Don’t Wait for the "Right" Time.

There’s never going to be a “perfect” time to start. You’re never going to feel 100% ready. The trick is to get started even when you don’t feel like it. The longer you wait for the “right moment,” the longer the task stays on your to-do list. Start before you’re ready. Trust that you can figure it out as you go.(Like those ppl who have an exam in a Monday and they wait until the perfect time 🤭 and the perfect time become a Sunday night 🥶)

5. Embrace Imperfection.

Perfectionism is procrastination’s best friend. You keep delaying because you want everything to be perfect. But hear me out : done is better than perfect. The task doesn’t need to be flawless; it needs to be completed. You can always improve it later, but only if you take action now.as long as u put effort

ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴏᴡᴇʀ ᴏғ ᴀᴄᴄᴏᴜɴᴛᴀʙɪʟɪᴛʏ : ʙʏᴏʙ 📢

Sometimes, the best way to break the procrastination cycle is to hold yourself accountable. Tell someone what you’re working on. Whether it’s a friend, a family member, or even a colleague, let them know your goals. When you have someone checking in on your progress, it creates a sense of urgency. If you're someone who struggles with motivation, having external accountability can push you to stop procrastinating and get things done.

ᴏᴠᴇʀᴄᴏᴍɪɴɢ ɢᴜɪʟᴛ ᴀɴᴅ sᴛᴀʀᴛɪɴɢ ғʀᴇsʜ

It’s easy to get stuck in a cycle of guilt. You feel bad for procrastinating, which makes you procrastinate even more. But guilt is not helpful. It’s normal to slip up or delay things. What matters is that you get back on track. Forgive yourself. Don’t let the guilt weigh you down please please please Instead, focus on the task at hand. Take that first step . Break through the resistance

ᴛʜᴇ ᴋᴇʏ ᴛᴏ sᴜᴄᴄᴇss: ᴄᴏɴsɪsᴛᴇɴᴄᴇ

Procrastination is not something you can “cure” overnight. It’s a habit, and habits take time to change. The goal isn’t to be perfect every time it’s to be consistent. The more consistent you are with taking action, the easier it becomes to fight procrastination. Slowly, you’ll start building momentum, and before you know it, you’ll be taking action without second-guessing yourself. (for example set a challenge of one week without procrastination and u will see change)

AT THE END IT'S UR CHOSE : DISCOMFORT TO SUCCESS OR COMFORT TO FAIL

It’s not going to be easy. But you’ve got this AAAAAAH . The pain of procrastination will always be worse than the pain of getting started. Take control, start small, and build from there. Procrastination may try to convince you it’s too hard but you’re stronger than that. Start now, and watch the weight of procrastination lift off your shoulders.

@bloomzone 📇

[potatobugxo]

Hello <3 I see your requests for Poppy Playtime are open. May I request Yarnaby being somehow turned into a possible reluctant ally by The Player? ( Personally, It sounds better to describe it in that way rather than Yarnaby being tamed. ) I haven't gone through all of Chapter 4 but this lil(?) guy captured my heart since his teaser!! I'd imagined The Player would have to be very strategic and crossed their fingers for dear luck in their pursuit of convincing Yarnaby enough to not hunt them.

Thank you! 🎀

sure thing!

warnings: brief mentions of abuse

-when you traverse through the prison portion of the factory and encounter yarnaby, the rainbow-maned lion proceeds to hunt you down under the doctor's orders

-you avoid him at all costs at first, the thought of being torn to shreds by the lion-like toy scared you to no end

-until you had a thought, a rather risky one. maybe you could get yarnaby on your side

-yarnaby has been psychologically tortured to follow the doctor's orders, to hunt and to kill, so breaking down the feral barrier of the toy may prove difficult, but did you have any other choice?

-you couldn't kill him, you felt too bad for him to do that. if there was a soul trapped behind those large black eyes, then you had to reach it, for both your sake and for his

-so when he is hunting you through the lower depths of the playtime prison, you grow tired of playing cat and mouse and decide to take your chances with the beastly toy

-you boldly jump in front of yarnaby, splaying your arms out as if trying to make yourself look bigger than him. he lets out a startled growl, his face opening to reveal his multiple sets of teeth

-"whoa, whoa, there! I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. But *he* will."

-yarnaby swipes at you with his claws and you jump away with a yelp

-"just hold on! we can help each other out! I know there's someone in there, you're not just a monster like the doctor says you are. We can get out of this place together, what do you say?"

-the small bit of consciousness yarnaby has left settles him down, tilting his head as if heeding your words.

-he sits like a little cat as you reach your hand out toward him. you're still partially terrified, but he was just a big toy animal after all, and maybe he could be swayed over with a pat like any other dog or cat (maybe)

-to your surprise, yarnaby lets you pet him, and you stroke your palm over his rainbow mane of yarn

-"there we go. see? we can be friends! you won't have to be trapped down here anymore. I'll help you find a way out."

-yarnaby lets out a noise, and then lowers his head to your level. maybe whoever was in there was listening after all.

[goddamnitmahtin]

Damian’s Babysitter

This is a sequel to this post. Since it was actually based on a wild dream I had, I figured I’de add more.

Danny and Wes found the gala boring as all hell. Almost immediately after showing up, they were sent to off to the “kids room.” Were Danny and Wes full on adults? Yes. But apparently rich people don’t want to look at you if you don’t have access to money they can convince you to give them. Which honestly, fair. Danny and Wes didn’t want to look at the rich people either.

Danny and Wes walked into the room filled with discarded children and found a sofa to sit on. It wasn’t like they were going to actually try to mingle with these children. Most of them were very clearly going to be mean. Most of them that weren’t too young to hold a conversation with were standing around on little cliques gossiping to each other about each other. It was like if you took all of the pettiest 5th graders in the entire state and put them into one room.

“I still can’t believe we are doing this,” Danny said, groaning. This entire thing was such bullshit. The entire atmosphere felt so fake.

“Lucky for us, I brought my laptop so we can just game until it’s time to leave,” Wes said, pulling his laptop out of his bag.

“Oohhh so that’s why you brought a purse,” Danny said, poking fun at the style of the bag. It was duty of a cousin to be a menace after all.

“It is not a purse!” Wes said, laughing. He gave Danny a playful shove before opening the computer and pulling up the game library. All of the games on the laptop were single player so they were going to have to take turns. Danny told Wes to go ahead and go first.

“Daniel Fenton,” said a child’s voice. One that he recognized.

Danny looked up from the computer and smiled, “Damian! What are you doing here bud?”

The child scoffed as if Danny were stupid, “I am here with my father. What are you doing here? You aren’t a part of Gotham’s elite.”

Danny had babysat Damian plenty of times in Metropolis when his father had odd work hours. Never once did he even consider that Bruce was from Gotham. Or part of it’s elite. Danny had always gotten paid well and it was a nice gig so he never really asked questions. But now that he thought of it, if Damian lived in Gotham, why did he want a babysitter in Metropolis?

Wes shoved Danny in the rib, “Danny- I think this kid is-”

“I’m here as a favor to a friend,” Danny said, ignoring the dull pain in his ribs, “Sam Manson.”

The child nodded, “Yes, I know Sam. She is not as pathetic as the other elite spawn.”

Danny laughed, “I agree.”

“Wait, how do you two even know each other? And how come he gets to call you Daniel?,” Wes asked. He had paused his game and was looking back and forth between Danny and Damian.

“Oh this is Damian! I babysit him every once in a while,” Danny sad gesturing to the young boy.

“Yes, when my father has work in Metropolis, I request to spend that time with Daniel when I am not needed,” Damian stated matter of factly, he crossed his arms looking proud of himself as he said, “I gained the right to refer to him as Daniel by proving myself in hand to hand combat.”

Wes gave Danny a look and Danny just shrugged, “He wanted to spar, who was I to say no? The kid has moves and I respect that.”

Danny smiled proudly and so did Damian at the acknowledgment of his fighting prowess. Wes just looked at Danny like he was the stupidest person in the world.

Wes’ judgement didn’t last long as a discord call started to ring on his laptop. Danny watched as his face flushed before answering. He was about to ask who it was but before he could, he heard a crash and then Damian’s voice.

“HEY!”

Then another voice unapologetically, “Sorry! Haha!”

Danny looked to see if Damian was alright just to see him holding a platter like a frisbee one one hand and using the other to flip someone across the room the bird, “Fuck you Tim!” (not really)

[blxxmingrose]

the movie was a blur for hans too, though he wouldn’t admit it out loud. there were movements on screen that captivated his eyes, but his being was somewhere else, encapsulated in this moment, fully aware of june’s presence near him. fully aware of how that presence made him feel. 

it made hans feel like he had been given permission to sit back and figuratively let his hair down, like nothing else would happen. he felt safe in the knowledge that they were all here, he wouldn’t worry about june while the snowstorm raged on, and he wouldn’t worry about june worrying about them either. he didn’t need to worry at all. he smiled to himself, allowing himself to bask in this feeling of safety and belonging, letting it chase away the coldness of the night. 

“i have a lot of free time to think when you and sunny are at school,” he said jokingly, and even how that sounded felt different to hans. he didn’t feel lonely being alone in his flower shop anymore. even in those moments, he could feel june’s presence, and the way they found the time to talk to each other when they could, made him feel like he truly existed in someone else’s life. that he mattered. 

“and if you’re easily convinced for future movie nights, then i have a lot more thinking and preparing to do.” he wanted june to stay, in so many words. he felt brave in that moment, and he gave a wink as he ended his words, though the gesture made him chuckle as he did so. it was so unlike him to be this carefree around someone, but that’s what june brought out in him. and, if he was being honest, he never wanted to lose that feeling.

sunny’s small frame leaning on him was starting to feel heavy, and it could only mean one thing. he moved slightly to see her eyes fighting the urge to close, a yawn escaping her lips just at the right moment to confirm hans’ suspicion. as the ending credits started, he gave june a quick look and mouthed, “i should put her to bed. but you can pick another movie if you want.” 

and with that, he carried sunny in his arms, her tired arms circling around his neck as her final attempts to keep her eyes open scanned for june in the room, making sure he was still there. “he’ll still be here tomorrow when you wake up,” hans whispered reassuringly, taking careful steps toward her room as she closed her eyes completely. 

hans laid her down gently and made sure she was wrapped up nicely in her covers, planting a kiss on her forehead before he straightened up. he kept her door open wider this time, so he could hear her even from the living room, where he headed back with his heart feeling full.

“she was fast asleep as soon as i put her down. i wonder how long she’s been trying to stay awake,” he said, still whispering as he returned to his seat. with sunny vacating the space between them, hans felt even more conscious of their closeness, and it filled him with a cocktail of emotions all at once. as he repositioned the blanket around him, he turned to glance at june, taking in the moment and smiling fondly, “ready for one more movie?” 

june accepted the other end of the blanket without hesitation, pulling it over himself and adjusting it slightly so it covered his shoulder. the warmth was immediate, seeping into him in a way that had almost nothing to do with the fabric itself and everything to do with this*. the closeness, the way hans had thought to prepare for tonight, the way sunny nestled so easily between them, content and secure.

“you really did think of everything, huh?” june murmured, his voice carrying the kind of fond amusement that settled low and comfortably in his chest. his gaze flickered to hans briefly before returning to the screen, though he wasn’t really watching the movie anymore. he could hear it, the dialogue blending into the soft rustle of the blanket and the occasional sound of sunny shifting, but the details blurred.

because the thing about a moment like this was that it held you. it wrapped itself around you like the blanket over their shoulders, tugging you deeper into its warmth. it didn’t need to be spoken about, only felt.

and june felt it.

he exhaled, sinking further into the couch, allowing himself the luxury of letting go. of not needing to be anywhere else. he wasn’t used to this — this quiet contentment, this ease of existing with someone else without worrying about when it might slip away. but hans comment made something tug in june’s chest, a promise he wanted to believe in. “you know,” he started again, tilting his head slightly toward hans, a small, thoughtful smile tugging at his lips, “if you ever need an excuse to have more nights like this… i’m not exactly hard to convince.”

it was a quiet offering. a way of saying i’d stay if you let me.

[rhiannonsknife]

hc of yj characters asking fem!reader out for valentines?

— VALENTINE‘S DAY WITH THE YELLOWJACKETS

— it’s february, so valentine’s day is coming up, yellowjackets s3 is coming out, and it’s my birthday month!! if you don’t have a valentine yet, consider this your invitation for us to all be each other’s! 💌

SHAUNA SHIPMAN

৻ꪆ shauna spends weeks rehearsing how she’s going to ask you out for valentine’s day. she writes and rewrites little notes, practices lines in her mirror, and almost talks herself out of it half a dozen times because she’s convinced you’ll say no or think it’s silly. even though you’ve given her zero reason to think that.

৻ꪆ she eventually settles on something lowkey but heartfelt: she spends hours preparing her attic room, decorating it with string lights, candles, and little paper hearts she cut out herself. it’s simple but so intimate, so very her. the effort shauna put in is obvious, and she hopes you see that.

৻ꪆ when you arrive, she’s practically buzzing with nerves, immediately giving herself away. she ushers you up the stairs to her room, watching your face carefully as you take in the space: on her bed, there’s a handwritten letter waiting for you, sealed with a little heart sticker. she insists you read it, standing by your side the whole time. as you read, you notice her mouthing the words. she’s memorized every line.

JACKIE TAYLOR

৻ꪆ jackie is not about to settle for a basic valentine’s day ask. i mean, it’s jackie taylor. she doesn’t do things halfway, especially not when it comes to you.

৻ꪆ while you’re in class, she sneaks out to decorate your locker with perfectly arranged hearts and ribbons (color coordinated, obviously). inside, there’s a bouquet of your favorite flowers, a handwritten note, and a coupon for ‘one valentines dinner date with jackie taylor’. she delivers the whole thing while casually leaning against the lockers, looking completely unbothered but making sure there’s an audience.

৻ꪆ jackie acts like she’s totally confident (you see right through her from the start), but the second you say yes, that fake composure cracks just a little. she’ll beam at you, maybe brush your hand, and say, “great. pick you up at 7?” on the inside, though, she’s screaming with excitement.

LOTTIE MATTHEWS

৻ꪆ lottie’s approach is definitely gentle and thoughtful!! she decides to ask you out during one of your shared moments of quiet: she invites you over to her house one evening, leading you through the back door to her spacious yard, where twinkling fairy lights are strung between the trees.

৻ꪆ you’re sitting together on a blanket, knees almost touching, when she finally brings it up: “i was thinking,” lottie starts, “i’d really like to spend valentine’s day with you. just us. would that be okay?” shes holding your hands with both of hers, glancing up at you from under her lashes hopefully.

৻ꪆ when you agree, lottie’s face lights up with the softest, happiest smile, the kind that makes her eyes crinkle at the corners. “i was hoping you’d say yes,” she admits, squeezing your hand before bringing it to her lips for a soft kiss. the rest of the night is spent planning your actual valentine’s date together: nothing too over the top, just something that feels right for the two of you.

NAT SCATORCCIO

৻ꪆ out of all the yellowjackets, nat is the least concerned with valentine’s day…at least, that’s what she tells herself. if it weren’t for you, she wouldn’t even think twice about it. but because it’s you, she finds herself secretly stressing over how to ask you out. she wants to do this right. nat spends way too much time trying to come up with the least awkward way to do it, all while telling herself she doesn’t actually care that much. (she totally does)

৻ꪆ after practice, nat catches you outside the locker rooms, leaning against the wall with her hands awkwardly hidden behind her back. “hey,” she says, trying to sound casual. “you doing anything for valentine’s? no? cool. cool, cool, cool. uh- wanna hang out with me? maybe?” it’s simple, direct, and couldn’t be any more nat until she pulls out a slightly crumpled bouquet of roses when you say yes.

৻ꪆ the gesture is so unexpectedly sweet coming from her that you can’t help but grin. before she can fully recover, you lean in and press a quick kiss to her cheek, and nat lets out a breath she didn’t even realize she was holding. she stands there for a moment, stunned, before a slow, lopsided smile spreads across her face. “yeah…okay,” she murmurs.

[peterm4rker]

from the rooftops || m.l

twenty seven. the date (written)

🕸🕷✮⋆˙ wc. 2.5k w. curse words, a little kissing ! ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁 .ᐟ

nothing could’ve ever prepared you for a date with mark.

you had hung out with him multiple times, of course, alone more than not. but this was different, because it was a date, and you knew he liked you just as much.

also because it was the first time you hung out after finding out about his secret identity, but that wasn’t important at the moment.

what was important was trying to get your hands to stop sweating and let you hide how incredibly nervous you were for the encounter as you stood in front of your apartment building, where days before mark had saved you from a really bad time.

you sucked in a breath as you saw his car pull up to the driveway, starting to walk towards him as he got out of the car, meeting him halfway.

“hi” he smiled, as softly as you had ever seen him while he extended a bouquet of flowers towards you.

“hi” you smiled back, doing the exact same thing with your own bouquet. 

“you got me flowers?” he asked, the tone of his voice betraying how moved he felt at the gesture.

“pretty boys deserve pretty flowers as well” you answered and swapped the flowers, holding your own close to your chest. “thank you, they’re beautiful.”

he looked at you so fondly that if you hadn’t already been convinced he liked you, that would’ve done the trick. “you’re beautiful.” he breathed out, and the color on your cheeks made itself present for the first time that day.

“let’s go before i explode,” you chuckled softly, thanking him when he opened the door for you and getting in your seat.

the drive was filled with chatter as you approached the restaurant you had agreed to eat at, just both of you enjoying each other's company like you always did.

mark made sure to open both the car door and the restaurant one, making you smile at his gentlemanly behaviour. 

“i’d fuck with pizza right now” you said once you were sitting down looking at the menu.

“me too, actually” he nodded, leading you to agree on which one you wanted and get that one.

“so, i have a question,” you commented after a couple of seconds of silence, watching him arch his brow in curiosity. “what made you want to ask me out all of the sudden?”

you knew the answer, but he didn’t know you knew, and you wanted to see what he would say. 

“well, it wasn’t really all of the sudden,” he commented, scratching the back of his neck softly. “i’ve liked you for a long time now, i even had a crush on you before we became close.” the way his cheeks dusted with pink as he confessed he liked you outloud for the first time made your heart flutter. it was funny to think about all the time you had spent yearning for him when apparently he had done the same, but you wouldn’t change a single thing about it.

“i had a crush on you before too,” you smiled, picking at your fingernails as a sign of nervousness. mark noticed and took your hand in his, avoiding that you hurt yourself and well, just because he wanted to hold your hand. the gesture made butterflies erupt on your stomach, completely endeared by it.

“really?” he asked, an incredulous look on his face as he absentmindedly caressed the skin of your hand with his thumb.

“mhm, why do you think i took the bio chem article at the beginning of the year?” you asked, a teasing smile on your face as you squeezed his hand. “

“i thought you said it was interesting!” he whined, feigning betrayal.

“i'm sure it was for people that actually understood it…” you tried to defend quickly. 

“i explained it to you,” he chuckled, amused.

“i wasn’t listening, you’re too pretty,” you smiled, looking at him with adoring eyes.

mark groaned and covered his face with his free hand, trying to hide the blush that made its way onto his face. “so i took all of that time to explain for nothing?” 

“well i wouldn’t say so, we ended up on a date almost eight months later,” you chuckled, watching him with amusement.

“true, it was worth it” he smiled once he had calmed down, squeezing your hand lightly “and right after that you were there with that one rando with the sound waves.”

oh! the one you caught within minutes?

“yeah, i remember. spiderman came in clutch though,” you smiled “he keeps saving me time on time again, he’s awesome.”

if you hadn’t been looking so intently you would’ve missed the way his expression turned proud for a moment before he cleared his throat and got a grip again.

“he’s pretty awesome” he nodded, a small smile on his face.

“the awesomest” you smiled.

…

“that was crazy,” he sighed as he leaned on the back of his chair, completely satisfied with the food you two had shared.

“insanely good, we should come here again” you nodded, causing mark to smile at the prospect of another date. he shouldn’t have been surprised considering you had confessed your undying crush to him without even knowing it, but it was a pleasant feeling to hear you say it to his face.

“we definitely should,” he agreed, “but now i really want ice cream.”

this was your opportunity.

“we could go to that ice cream parlor i told you about the other day.” you said, trying to sound as casual as you could. “the one near han river.”

you saw a flicker of doubt cross his eyes before he ultimately nodded, standing up and extending his hands towards you. “lead the way then.”

you smiled and took his hand, intertwining your fingers with his. “we still need to pay, markie.”

“nope, i paid when i went to the bathroom” he smiled smugly as he moved his arm to rest around your shoulders, holding you closer to him.

“we said i would pay half!” you whined, and he shrugged. “i’ll pay next time”

“nope, you won’t” he smiled as he ruffled your hair before beginning to walk away, leading you to do the same with his side hug.

you both thanked the workers as you headed out, deciding to walk to the ice cream parlor since it was closer than you had initially thought.

the boy didn’t let go of your hand at any point, holding you as close as he could without making you both trip on each other's feet. he still couldn’t believe that he had you with him now, that he was allowed to touch you that way and you didn’t mind it a single bit. 

“what flavour do you want?” you asked after a long discussion on who would pay for ice cream where you ultimately came out victorious. 

“uhm, i think chocolate please” he asked, and a smirk took place on your lips.

of course he wanted chocolate.

“here you go” you handed the cup to him, paying quickly for both and thanking the worker before getting back to his side.

“thank you” he smiled, taking a lick of his ice cream and letting out a small groan.

“fire?” you asked, a smug smile on your lips.

“flames” he nodded innocently. only two seconds passed before his eyes widened and his face went pale as he turned quickly to look at you.

click.

“you know” he muttered, and you felt slightly bad for making him realize. he looked so scared, terrified even.

“i do know” you nodded, voice soft as you reached a bench and took a seat on it, waiting for him to do the same.

“since when?” he asked as he sat down, his voice small.

“i’ve known for about two months,” you said, keeping your tone soft and your eyes trained on his face. “that’s why i told him, you, about you, i thought that would give me an answer about if you liked me or not.”

mark stayed silent, and fear began to arise on your body. had you fucked up? had you completely crossed a line he never wanted to cross? you shouldn’t have said anything, it was not your place to discover it.

“i’m sorry,” he spoke quickly, beating you to say the words that were about to come out of your lips.

“why are you sorry? i should be saying sorry, it wasn’t my place to pry like that” you spoke, feeling remorse harboring in your stomach.

“no, don’t be sorry,” he said, giving you a soft smile as he left his ice cream cup at his side on the bench. his hands moved tenderly to your face, which he held with so much care someone would think you were made of porcelain. “i wanted to tell you, and i was going to, i promise. it’s just not easy, it could put us both in danger.”

your eyes were fighting to keep the tears away as you looked at him. you didn’t even know why you were crying, but the loving, concerned tone in mark’s voice was too much for your poor heart to handle.

“i promise i would never say anything to anyone” you assured quickly, leaving your own cup to the side. “i would rather die than put you in danger.”

mark immediately shook his head. “you will never have to choose between those options. but if you’re ever put in that situation and i'm not there to save you, you tell whoever wants to know, okay? i don’t want to be the cause of any harm done to you.”

you couldn’t help but embrace him in your arms, hugging him tight to your body as he held you just the same.

“nothing will happen, i’m sure” you assured, your voice muffled by his chest. 

“i won’t let anything happen.” he assured, his hand caressing your hair softly.

…

“thank you for coming with me,” mark said as you stood at the entrance of your building.

“thank you for asking me” you smiled, your hand playing with his fingers softly.

you both stared at each other in silence for a couple of seconds before mark’s eyes travelled down to your lips, his tongue darting out to lick his own. he was dying to kiss you, and by the sight of how you wet your lips just then, you wanted the same thing.

“you could, uhm, come upstairs if you want” you commented, and mark had never agreed to something faster in his life.

you entered your apartment and turned on the lights, moving aside to let mark in and close the door behind him. the boy was nervous, his hands fumbling with his rings. he was familiar with the apartment, but he had never been there with you alone.

“i’m gonna put the flowers in a vase, wait for me for a second, okay?” you asked, waiting until he nodded to leave him alone in the room.

mark looked around, unsure of what to do until you came back. he didn’t have to wait long though, it didn't even take two minutes for you to be back in front of him.

the tension was high as you stood in front of him, your eyes trained on each other once again. mark’s hand moved slowly to take a strand of your hair behind your ear, his heart fluttering when you nuzzled softly against his palm. he took the chance to cup your jaw and tilt your head upwards, just until it was angled right for him to press his lips onto yours.

when he did, everything he had ever known fell apart. every fear, every worry, every girl he had ever kissed before simply disappeared as your lips began moving against his.

kissing mark was like nothing you had ever done before. his lips were soft and he knew how to move them a little too well. his hands felt just right as he held your jaw and your waist, pulling you closer to him as the kiss grew deeper.

you didn’t know if it had been seconds or minutes when you parted for air, but the dazed look in his eyes leaned you to the latter.

“you don’t understand how long i’ve been waiting to do that” he muttered, and the low tone of his voice made you shudder.

“believe me, i understand” you smiled before connecting your lips again. 

minutes passed before you broke away again, and you suddenly found yourself pressed up against a wall with his leg dangerously placed between yours.

“mark?” you asked softly as he parted from you again. he hummed as a small smile placed itself on your lips. “i want to try something,” you commented, making him look at you curiously.

“what is it?” he asked, his thumb drawing circles on the skin of your waist.

“you can stick to walls, right?” 

…

“i can’t believe you’re making me do this,” mark chuckled as you took a small step away from him.

“come on, don’t be a meanie” you encouraged, and he could never say no to the beautiful smile on your lips. he let out an exaggerated sigh and you cheered, knowing he had caved.

you watched him as he shot a spiderweb straight from his wrist and pushed himself up, making sure to hang upside down. he couldn’t help the giant smile on his lips as he watched you look at him with wonder filled eyes. “so? come on, i still get dizzy sometimes.”

you let out a small giggle before going up to him, holding his face on your hands and pressing your lips together in a kiss. it wasn't a long one, just a long peck followed by many little ones before he moved back into a standing position, shaking his head softly to get rid of the dizziness.

“happy?”

“so happy” you smiled, looking at him with loving eyes. “thank you for doing that, i know it's silly.”

“maybe, but you looked cute upside down,” he smiled. “i have a favor i want to ask you too.”

“what is it?” you asked, tilting your head in curiosity.

“would you maybe want to come with me to the new years party?” he asked, now feeling a little shy.

“of course i would” you smiled, shoving his shoulder lightly. “you think i would let another girl kiss you at twelve? i’m not that dumb.”

mark chuckled happily and hugged your waist, bringing you closer to him and leaving a peck on your forehead. “i wouldn’t want to kiss another girl anyways.”

“good” you smiled, hugging his shoulders and pecking his lips. “now, what other funny things can you do?”

“am i a clown to you, woman?”

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© peterm4rker, 2024

[rip-cod-brainrot]

Alright I’m back on my bullshit

I did say in this post I would be back to talk about how I think the relationship dynamics are in between poly!141 and I intend to keep that promise

Price & Gaz: as mentioned in the above post, cuddly rather than horny. Can’t imagine them getting directly raunchy with each other. At all. But I can imagine them holding each other close, sitting in the office being the silent rock that the other needs to get through a stressful day. They talk more formally with each other than Soap and Ghost in every way of the word. Gaz has always known Price as Captain, Price has always known Gaz as Kyle. They can depend on each other, they’re a team. They keep going through shit in Urzikstan together, fr, so I feel like they feel like work partners who happen to mesh romantically and do not mind kisses in the slightest. In fact, Price would not mind a kiss right now, and Gaz would not mind being the pretty lad to give one-

Soap and Ghost: oh this is up to interpretation. Ghoap is my favorite ship and it shows. I like the idea of Ghost having a hard time explaining (or even deciding) what he wants out of the relationship. It’s easier to delve into the bedroom than it is into emotions. And Soap is incredibly eager for the bedroom ofc, but he also loves spending time with Simon, not just the Ghost. He wants to figure out what makes Simon happy, and sometimes he’s not very good at it, but god damn it, he’s trying. So Simon is going to try, too…. Once he gets the stick out of his ass that keeps telling him he doesn’t deserve this love or this kindness. Such an annoying stick. Soap is trying to rip it out like a beyblade cord

Gaz and Ghost: didn’t even think of this pairing before tumblr, but now I can’t stop thinking about it. Ghost is emotionally constipated to hell, and Gaz has the patience for it, damn it! He knows he can’t just bulldoze Ghost’s emotional and trust issues with happiness to fix it (Soap keeps proving this, ‘cause he doesn’t know what else to do). So Gaz is gentler with Ghost, letting him take his time to work out feelings. He lets Ghost come to him, opening up at his own pace. In return, Ghost recognizes the sign of somebody who’s taking care of everybody else at the cost of themselves. He sees it in Gaz. He has the will to step up and remind Garrick he doesn’t always have to be in control, things happen, and it’s okay if people have a bad day every once in a while. It doesn’t need to be perfect. Promise.

Price and Soap: “He’s an idiot, but he’s MY idiot” type vibes. Price is a little more stern than Ghost is, mostly because Ghost is easier to exasperate into a smile and a shake of his head. Price is the captain, damn it, John MacTavish, keep yourself under control! (Which Price is NOT saying whenever Soap convinces him to do something a little naughty in private. If anybody can make Price blush with a few words, it’s Soap. Where the hell did Soap even GET that idea to do something like tha- is it an internet thing? It’s probably an internet thing…)

Soap and Gaz: you know the term ‘bromance’? That’s these two. Those guys who are like so close and always making gay/gay sex jokes with each other in public that make you do The Eyebrow Meme because you are waiting for the ‘no homo, bro… unless….?’ But they refuse to say that bit. Keeps the rest of the base on their toes. They aren’t outright horny in public, but you KNOW these two LOVE to catch people off-guard with one of those jokes along the lines of “of course I give my homies a good-night kiss and a bro-job before bed. They’re stressed, bro, it’s called being a good friend’

Price and Ghost: They’ve known each other the longest, and their relationship has the fewest words between them. They know each other inside and out, physically and emotionally. They’ve got experience on the field that the Sergeants haven’t had yet, and they know it. They don’t fault the younger two for it, and they don’t envy that the younger two only have yet to experience it all. Price and Ghost were together before it was even really okay to be gay, especially in the military, so they know how to keep things subtle and on the low-low. Their relationship is implied at best, but god damn if it isn’t loyal and love.

Anyway that’s my thoughts for now, I am super dizzy so it may not be coherent but <3 the boys

[jjkarmy091]

The Boyfriend Game - Jungkook (part 2)

-> synopsis: You never thought that fighting for a position in JV's team would end up with you falling for the guy who was helping you out with it, especially since he had the same rule as you: no date, no romance, just socceer

> pairing: Soccer playerJungkook x (f) reader

> genre: romance, strangers to friends to lovers; angst; fluff

> word count: 10.230

JV practice Thursday was the worst practice I’d ever had. I was so nervous about my upcoming not-a-date date with Jungkook to watch the soccer game that I couldn’t concentrate. Of course, it didn’t help that Jennie had told Sana  and they were both harassing me the entire  practice about how cute Jungkook was and how much we liked each other and why didn’t I simply make a move. Even when I headed the ball into Jennie’s face, she didn’t shut up. 

And then practice was over. Jennie and Sana forced me to blow dry my hair and put on makeup after practice. Then I was in the truck with Jungkook and his brother. 

When I realized we were alone in his basement, with a pizza and a couple of sodas on the coffee table. I stood in the doorway, not quite able to make myself walk into the room. Jungkook stood in front of the couch, fiddling with the remote control. He was wearing jeans and boots, and he had a shirt on with a faded red oxford shirt, unbuttoned. His sleeves were rolled up to the point I coud see some of his tattoos and he looked casual, but cute.  

Really, really cute. 

It wasn’t just Sana and Jennie trying to convince me. He was a hottie, and I knew it. He finally found the soccer game, turned up the volume, and looked over at me, his eyebrows going up in surprise when he saw me still standing by the door.  

“What are you doing over there?” 

“Um, just hanging out.” He tossed the remote onto the coffee table. “Well it’s kind of a long game to hang over there the whole time.” He eased down onto the overstuffed denim cushions. 

“Yeah, well, I’m comfortable.” Not that much but I didn’t know where to sit. Next to him? On the couch? No, it might make him think I liked him and he’d bail on me. In one of the armchairs? But it might make him think I liked him and was pretending not to and he’d bail on me. Stand, I’d stand. Then he could just think I was whacked and that would be much better. 

He opened the pizza box and I watched the steam rise from the cheese and caught a whiff of the bread and the tomato sauce. He pulled a piece free and I watched the cheese stretch and stretch . . . then he slid his finger through the cheese and broke the strand and plopped the string of cheese on top of his slice. He set it down on a plate next to him on the coffee table and looked at me. 

“I’m not bringing it over to you.” Oh, wow. He wanted me to sit next to him on the couch. Did that mean he liked me?  Damn it Y/n, stop it! Of course not! Get a grip! 

“Is this how you treat all your guests? Forcing them to eat at the table? So rude.” I managed to keep a light tone in my voice as I forced myself to walk into the room and I eased myself down onto the couch, a mere two feet from him. We were less than twenty-four inches apart!  Oh, sure, we’d been much closer so many times on the soccer field, like when we were going one-on-one and bumping into each other and shoving ourselves off each other with our hands, but I’d never noticed it, at least not like I was noticing it now. 

Jungkook served up a couple of pieces for himself, shut the lid, and turned up the volume. “I’m so psyched for this game. New England just traded for a new forward who’s awesome. Tonight’s his first start.” 

“Super.” Obviously, Jungkook wasn’t feeling the same buzz from sitting so close to me. Stupid Jennie for making me think of him as a guy! I was so going to kill her when I saw her tomorrow.   

I managed an awkward smile and grabbed my pizza. The tip of the slice dipped downward and a hunk of cheese slipped off the end before I could catch it. It landed with a splat on Jungkook’s foot. We both looked down as it slowly slid off the toe of his boot and down the side, coming to a peaceful stop wedged in the off white carpet fi bers of his basement rug. Yeah, I was such the graceful girly girl. Sigh. 

“Want it back?” Jungkook asked. I giggled. 

“No, you can have it.” 

“Excellent. I was hoping to add a little carpet fuzz to my pizza.” He reached down and picked up the piece, inspected it for a minute, then popped it into his mouth. 

“That’s so gross!” I burst out laughing as he proceeded to chew it, wrinkling his nose like he’d bitten into something horrid.  

“You aren’t really going to eat that!” He swallowed, his eyes sparkling with amusement. 

“Of course I ate it. It’s just carpet fuzz.” I laughed.  

“You’re disgusting.” Then I sighed as I blew on my pizza before taking another bite. He so wasn’t making the moves on me. No guy trying to impress a girl would eat carpet-fuzz pizza. It was too gross. Like I’d want him to kiss me when he had just eaten dirt . . . Oh, wait. No, no no. There’s no way I’d just put “Jungkook” and “kiss me” in the same sentence- I was such an idiot! How could I be stupid enough to like him? Not like him, but like him? I mean, he hung out with me because I wasn’t into guys. It would be a total violation of our code of friendship if I started to like him!  

I didn’t like him... Did I? I had to know. I subtly peeked at him. He was leaning forward, watching the television, his hair all spiky, his forearms resting on his thighs. He glanced at me, winked, and my belly jumped in response even though he turned right back to the television. No guy had ever made my belly flip before, not like that. There was no way to deny it. 

I liked Jungkook. He let out a whoop and slapped his hands on his thighs. 

“Did you see that play? We have got to practice that!” He turned to me and his smile slowly faded. All at once he had a really wary look on his face, almost like he was afraid of me. It was the same look I’d seen on his face when he’d seen Winter coming after him at the football game. I’d become another Winter. Shit! 

“Y/n?” His voice was cautious and a little strained. “Why are you looking at me like that?” 

Oh, God, he could tell. How could he not? I’d been staring at him for, like, five minutes, thinking about him kissing me. Think of a reason, Y/n ! But all I could think about was how cute he looked with his brow all furrowed. 

“Um . . .” He cleared his throat and stood up. “I’m going to the bathroom. Be back in a minute.” Then he vaulted over the back of the couch and sprinted up the stairs, three at a time. It was the fastest I’d ever seen him move, all because he was running away from me. Argh! This was horrible! I yanked out my cell phone and dialed Sana. She answered on the first ring. 

“How’s the date?” 

“Horrible!” I filled her in on what happened, whispering as fast as I could, watching the stairs and listening for Jungkook to come back.  

“What should Ido? He’s going to pull the plug on soccer, I know it!” 

“Hang on.” I heard her and Jennie talking but their voices were muffled, like she’d covered the phone. 

“Hurry up,” I hissed. Finally, Sana came back on. 

“You have to go into Emergency Recovery Mode.” 

“What’s that?” 

“Give him a good reason for the strange look on your face, then talk soccer. Big time. Make him think he misread it. We’ll do damage control when we meet up tomorrow. Got it?”  

The door to the basement opened and I slammed my phone shut and shoved it in my pocket. I wiped my palms on my jeans as Jungkook walked down the stairs, a whole lot slower than he’d gone up. God, this was so embarrassing. I took a deep breath, then flopped back on the couch. 

“Did you bring ice?” He looked at me and paused on the stairs. “Ice? Why?” 

“I burned the roof of my mouth on the cheese. It’s killing me.” I rolled my eyes.  

“Sorry I wigged you out a second ago. I was trying to assess the damage to see whether I needed to go to the emergency room plus I was trying to figure out how to blame you for it. Not that it worked.” I forced a giggle. 

“I’m the only idiot around here, and unless you’ve got ice, I think you need to call an ambulance.” 

“My fault? Not even.” Some of the tension left his shoulders and he resumed walking toward me, hopping over the bottom step.  

“The soda’s cold. Will that work?” 

“Yeah, good idea.” I grabbed a can of Diet Coke and flicked it open. “So do you have paper and a pen? I want to take some notes tonight.” I took a gulp. He looked surprised.  

“Really?” 

“Are you kidding?” I injected an impressive amount of excitement into my voice and set the can back on the table.  

“I’m so pumped for this and I don’t want to miss anything.” I clenched my fists and didn’t have to fake my determination.  

“I’m going to make varsity, Jungkook. No matter what.” He finally gave me a real smile.  

“You bet you will.” I nodded. 

“Now that we’ve both acknowledged how I’m always right, stop talking so I can concentrate on the game.” I rolled my eyes. “Boys just talk and talk, never shut up. How’s a girl supposed to watch a game, huh?” He laughed and leaned back against the couch and I could tell that things were right between us again. Or as right as they could be, given that I now realized I liked him, and I could never, ever, EVER admit that.  

Next morning Jennie was checking her makeup in a compact, and Sana was munching on a bagel. They both jumped to their feet when they saw me climb out of my mom’s car. I’d been so miserable this morning that my mom had offered to drive me the short distance to school when she couldn’t convince me to tell her what was wrong. As if this were the kind of thing I was going to tell her! 

“You look awful,” Jennie exclaimed as I walked up. “Are you sick?” 

“No, but thanks for making me feel better.” I hadn’t slept all night, I was freaking out and I didn’t know what to do. 

“Sit, sit.” Jennie shoved me onto the steps and opened her makeup bag. “You are in desperate need of concealer, my friend. You talk, I’ll fix.” It was too much effort to keep her off me so I gave in while Sana plopped herself next to me, munching away. 

“So? What happened?” 

“Look up,” my personal makeup artist ordered. I inspected the sky so Jennie could massage the concealer into the black pits beneath my eyes as I filled them in on how the evening had worked out. I kept my voice low, so all the kids fi ing into the school wouldn’t hear what I was talking about, not that they cared. It seemed like everyone else was loud and laughing and in a grand mood. 

“So, that’s good, then, right?” Sana asked. 

“No.” 

“Why not? You got him back on track, right? You guys are back to the ‘we don’t notice the opposite sex’ thing and all?” 

“She’s upset because she still likes him,” Jennie said. “Close your eyes.” I closed them, then winced as I felt something hard on my eyelid. “Tell me you’re not putting eyeliner on me.” 

“Oh, shush. It’s about time you started wearing makeup. How else is Jungkook going to realize that he likes you?” My eyes snapped open, and Jennie nearly poked my eye out.  

“Y/n! Don’t do that!” 

“What did you just say about Jungkook liking me?” 

Jennie set her hands on her hips. “Oh, you look great now,” she complained. “Nothing like a streak of eyeliner up into your eyebrow to make the boys fall for you.” 

“Jennie!” I grabbed the eyeliner out of her hand and held it between my two fists. “I’m going to break this in half if you don’t tell me.” 

“No! It’s my favorite!” She lunged for it and I jerked it out of her reach. “Talk, girl.” 

“Fine.” She pulled out a hairbrush and ran it through her hair. “All I meant was that it’s obvious he likes you, but he just doesn’t realize it yet. You know, because he’s all anti girl and stuff, it’ll take time for him to realize it so by making you look like a girl maybe he’ll notice that you are one.”  

She fluffed out her hair. “Clearly, having you make googly eyes at him is not the way to approach this.” She tossed the brush back in her make up bag, then held out her hand. 

“Give the eyeliner back so I can finish making you look halfway decent.” 

“Googly eyes?” I slapped the eyeliner back into her hand.  

“I didn’t make googly eyes! I was spacing out! Big difference!” 

“Not to a guy,” Jennie said. “Close your eyes and don’t open them until I give you permission.” I did as she instructed and tried to calm down.  

“Jungkook doesn’t like me.” 

“Give it up, Y/n,” Sana said. “Jennie’s the guy expert. If she says he likes you, then he does.” 

“If you don’t shut up, I’m going to tell Jimin you like him,” I blurted out. I instantly felt bad, but I couldn’t take one more minute of them telling me  Jungkook liked me when I knew he didn’t. I knew it down deep in that black lump of tar in my gut. 

“Fine. Be that way,” Sana said. 

I felt Jennie rubbing on my brow, no doubt trying to erase the random streaks across my face.  

“So if you refuse my help in getting him to notice you’re a girl, what do you want from us?” she asked. 

“It’s your fault I started liking him, because you both kept talking about how hot he was, so you have to undo it. Make me not like him.” That was the best plan I’d been able to come up with during my sleepless night. I hadn’t been able to stop myself from liking him, so it was their problem to fix. They didn’t reply, but I could hear them whispering. 

“Hello? Didn’t you hear me? Fix it.” I wanted to open my eyes so badly because I had a feeling they were having a silent discussion, but I didn’t want to sit there at Jennie’s mercy any longer than I had to. No need to drag it out by forcing another misguided streak of eyeliner. “Guys?” 

“All done.” I opened my eyes as Jennie stepped back. She grinned. “Nice.” 

Anything that was “nice” to her meant I needed to find a mirror as soon as possible to make sure she hadn’t made me look like a clown. Sana stood up and moved next to Jennie, wrinkling her nose as she peered at me.  

“Well, that was stupid.” Jennie and I both looked at her. “It doesn’t look good?” I knew it! 

“You look amazing,” Sana said. I raised my brows at Jennie, and she shrugged.  

“So why was that stupid?” Sana shot Jennie a look of pity. “Because you like Taehyung. You were just starting to make progress with him and now you go and make Y/n look even better than she does already?” 

I immediately frowned. “I don’t want Taehyung. I don’t want any guys. I just want to play soccer!” 

“It doesn’t matter,” Sana said. “Tae won’t notice Jennie unless you’re out of the picture. Not with you looking like that.” 

Jennie and I looked at each other and she shook her head. “No, because Y/n likes Jungkook. You’ll tell Tae tonight at Pop’s, won’t you? That you like Jungkook?” 

“No way! What if it got back to Jungkook?” I got cold at the thought. “He’d stop practicing with me in a heartbeat.” And I needed him in my life for soccer, even if there was nothing else. Besides, as a friend, he made me feel good and I wasn’t willing to give that up.  

To keep him as a friend, I would get over the fact I liked him. I shivered. Just thinking those words made me get all wigged out. I liked Jungkook... How stupid was I?  Jennie’s mouth tightened and her eyes got cool.

“You won’t do it for me?” 

“It’s not like that,” I said. “I just, well, if you’d seen the look on Jungkook’s face last night . . .” She held up her hand to silence me. “Forget it. I understand. You’ll put soccer over me, your best friend.” I jumped up. 

“No, I’m not! This is your fault, anyway! If you hadn’t convinced me that I liked Jungkook and made him go all wacky on me last night, maybe I could pull off a lie to Taehyung and then explain to Jungkook I was saying I like him just to help you out, but you already messed that up and he’d never believe me, so it’s your fault I can’t do it! Besides, it’s not like I’m doing anything to try to get Taehyung to like me, so don’t be mad at me!” 

Sana cleared her throat and moved between us. “Okay, you guys, chill out.” 

“I disinvite you tonight,” Jennie said. “Don’t come. You’ll just mess things up with me and him.” 

“I don’t want to go, anyway! You think it’s fun for me to sit there and watch you making an idiot of yourself over him?” Sana winced.

“Y/n—” 

“An idiot?” Jennie gasped. “I’m an idiot? What does that mean?”  

“Because you get all flirty and ditzy and weird! Did you even consider that maybe the reason Taehyung likes me is because I’m normal around him? You fondle his coat and get all girly on him. Why don’t you try being normal? Maybe he’d like you then!” 

Her face twisted. “I am normal!” 

“Not when you’re around him” I said. “I don’t even like you when you’re like that. And neither does Sana.” Jennie sucked in her breath, her eyes wide with shock. 

“What?” 

“She didn’t mean that,” Sana interrupted. “We both love you.” she glared at me. “Take it back, Y/n.” 

“Too late,” Jennie hissed. “I’m out of here.” Then she shoved her makeup kit in her backpack. “Don’t come tonight.” She turned away, ran up the steps and let the doors slam shut behind her. 

I bit my lip and suddenly felt like crying. How had that happened? I hadn’t meant to say that, but it had slipped out. But she’d made me so mad! It was her fault I was in the mess with Jungkook ham and all she wanted to do was make it worse by having me start rumors that I was dating Jungkook. 

Sana picked up her backpack, her face tight. “Well, now I have to go convince her that I don’t think she’s an idiot around him. How could you say that? Like she’s not already nervous enough around him, without you telling her that?” 

“But it’s true. If she acts the way she normally does, Kirk might like her. I was just trying to help. . . .” 

“Well, don’t try to help, then.” She slung her bag over her shoulder and ran into the school, leaving me out on the steps. I bit my lip and sat back down. I should go after them, but I didn’t dare. I was so upset, I had a feeling I would just make things worse. I mean, how else could I screw up things with the only people in my life I cared about? 

This is why I liked soccer. It was about the ball. About sweat. Not about all this other stuff that was so confusing. I mean, I was just trying to get things right and now everyone was mad at me! 

I sat there by myself, watching kids walk into the school, all chatting and happy, until the first bell rang and I had to go in. By the time I started up the stairs I’d realized that due to Jennie and Sana being mad at me and Jungkook being afraid of me for the first time ever, I didn’t want to go to soccer practice this afternoon. And that was the worst part of all. 

That evening, at seven o’clock, I was sitting on our family room couch, wrapped up in a pink bunny comforter I’d found at the bottom of my closet. I’d left my soccer ball one on my bed. After my terrible practice, with Jennie refusing to talk to me and Sana being all uncomfortable between us, I’d wanted nothing more to do with soccer so I told Jungkook I was feeling sick and I bailed. 

Although he’d expressed a little concern that I wasn’t permanently disabled from my bout with the pizza cheese, he hadn’t seemed particularly bummed that I was ditching soccer with him, which made me feel worse, so I’d come home, taken a package of Entenmann’s chocolate chip cookies out of the kitchen cabinet, and settled on the couch with my remote at five o’clock. And now, two hours later, I still wasn’t feeling any better. 

“Y/n?” I muted That ’70s Show and looked up at my mom. 

“You need me to set the table?”  

“No, actually, I wanted to talk.” 

“Oh.” I sighed and tossed the remote on my lap.  

“It’s about Dad, right? You’re worried that I’m going to develop some sort of complex because he never keeps our Friday night date?” I thought of Jungkook’s explanation about my dad just being busy, and felt better about my dad, and worse because it made me think of him.  

“I’m fine with it.” My mom was still wearing her gray pantsuit from work at the law firm, but that didn’t stop her from climbing onto the couch with me and sliding under the comforter, like we used to do before I got too busy with soccer and she got too busy doing the single mom thing. 

 “What’chya watching?” she asked.  

“Reruns.”  

“Fun way to spend a Friday night.” I snorted.  

“Yeah, wicked fun.” She put her arm around me and pulled me next to her. 

“So, if it’s not fun, why aren’t you doing something more fun? I haven’t seen much of Jennie and Sana lately.” I bit my lip and said nothing. What was there to say?  

Instead, I snuggled against her and rested my head on her shoulder. I know, totally babyish, but I couldn’t help it. I needed my mom right then. I needed someone who wasn’t mad at me. 

“How’s the extra practice going? Is your game improving?” My throat tightened up.  

“I guess.” She was quiet for a moment, drumming her fingers on the top of my head. 

“So, how was the game last night? With Jungkook?” 

“I burned the roof of my mouth and accidentally dropped pizza on his carpet.” I felt her smile. 

“Well done, Y/n. There’s nothing like making a mess to impress a guy.” 

“But I wasn’t trying to impress him!” I wailed. “I don’t want to like him! I just want it to be like it used to be, before Jennie messed everything up!” 

“How did she mess everything up?” Her voice was so calm that I couldn’t hold back anymore, and the whole story came pouring out. Everything.  

“So now Jennie and Sana hate me and I can’t go to Pop’s with them tonight, even if I wanted to, which I don’t, but I can’t and—” I paused to blow my nose in the fiftieth tissue I’d used since I started talking. “And I didn’t even go to practice and he didn’t even care!” I started to cry again and my mom hugged me. 

“Oh, sweetie, you didn’t do anything wrong. . . .” I pushed off her and blew my nose again. “But Jennie’s still mad. It’s not my fault Taeyung likes me.” She smiled and fl uffed my bangs. 

“True, but that doesn’t make it any easier for her.”  

“She should get over it, shouldn’t she? Apologize?”  

“First I have a question for you.” I sat up and wrinkled my nose at her. “I’m not going to like it, am I?” She smiled.  “You feel bad because you like Jungkook and he doesn’t like you  back, right?” I picked a fuzz ball off my faded comforter. 

“Maybe.”  

“So, that’s how she feels with Taehyung. She likes him, but he doesn’t like her back. She feels exactly like you feel with Jungkook, except it’s worse because her best friend is the reason he won’t like her.” She cocked her head. 

“How would you feel if you found out that Jungkook liked Sana?” 

 “I’d hate her.” The words slipped out before I could stop them, and I made a face. But my mom just smiled.  

“See how she feels now?”I guess I did.  

“But if I go in there and tell Taehyung I like Jungkook, then . . .” She shook her head.  

“No, don’t do that. Just go in there tonight and tell him the truth. That you’re not interested in him as a guy.” 

“But I already told him that. . . .” 

“Make him understand you mean it.” I groaned.  

“How? He’s totally thick.” She played with my hair.  

“Maybe tell him to look in Jennie’s direction. Couldn’t hurt, right? And then you could coach her on how to be herself when she’s around him.” I wrinkled my nose.  

“Why should I? She ruined my life by making me like Jungkook.” My mom arched an eyebrow. “I think you did that all by yourself Y/n. And only you can fix it.” 

“Tell me how and I’ll do it.” Anything to stop me from liking him and screwing up the one good thing in my life. 

“Find someone else to like.” 

“Mom!” I wailed. “But I don’t want to like boys!” She smiled and ruffl ed my hair.  

“Oh, kiddo, I think it’s too late for that. You’re in the ball game now. It’s up to you to take control.” I pulled the comforter over my face.  

“I can’t.” She pulled it back down.  

“At the very least, you can get your fanny over to Pop’s and help her out. She’s your friend, and you should never let a boy come between you and your friends. Girls have to stick together. It’s the only way to survive boys.” 

“What if Jungkook’s there? He might be there on a Friday night. What am I supposed to do then?” She smiled and flipped the comforter off both of us, then stood up.  

“You’ll talk soccer and let the rest go. Be yourself. Things will work out.” I frowned at her.  

“Things will work out? That’s all the advice you have?”  

“It’s great advice.” She laughed. “Now get up and let’s go fi nd something for you to wear that’ll knock Junkook’s socks off if he happens to be there.” 

“But I don’t want to knock his socks off! And that’s a totally lame expression, by the way.” But a little part of me liked the idea. I mean, would it be so bad if he thought I was cute? If he noticed that I cleaned up okay? 

“All the more reason to do it.” She grabbed my hand and tugged me to my feet.  

“There’s a reason I always look nice when I go to work.” I kept a scowl on my face while she hustled me upstairs.  

“Because you’ll get fi red if you look like a slob?”  

“Because, my little grouch, it makes me feel better on the inside if I like how I look on the outside.” She gently shoved me into the bathroom. “Get in there, wash your hair, and I’ll pick out some clothes. We’re going to make you look like the girl you are, underneath all that sweat and dirt.” 

“I like dirt,” I protested, even as I tugged my sweatshirt over my head  

“Of course you do. And you’re welcome to roll around in the yard after we finish cleaning you up.” My mom pulled the door shut.  

“Promise?” I turned on the shower and shucked the rest of my clothes. “Because I will, you know.” 

“Oh, I know,” she called out from the direction of my bedroom, where I could hear her pulling open my drawers, looking for my outfit for the night. I grinned.  My mom always looked awesome, and if she got on my ase for tonight . Well . . . I almost hoped Jungkook would be there. 

At seven fifty five my mom was done with my makeover. We stood next to each other and studied my outfit in my bedroom mirror.  Low-rider jeans, uggs and a V neck top that was sort of fitted. Not tight but not hugely baggy, either. I’d bought the shirt a year ago when I was out with Jennie and Sana and I’d never worn it. It was simply too girly. 

I’d bought it only because they’d made me, but my mom insisted, and she’d done my hair and my makeup and even let me borrow her diamond pendant. She smiled as she tucked a strategically dangling ten-dril of hair behind my ear.  

“I must say, I’m very impressed with myself.” 

“I’m going to go roll in the dirt as soon as I’m outside.” My heart thudded as I inspected myself. For the first time in my life, I looked like a girl. And you know what? I loved it. I absolutely adored how I looked. My mom’s smile widened.  

“Why don’t I believe you?”  

“I can’t go into Pop’s like this.” I took a deep breath and tried to slow my racing heart. God, could I really do this? Walk in there looking so . . . female?  

“Sure you can. You’ll have a blast.” She held out a little navy purse with embroidery on it. “Just bought this. You can use it.”  It looked just like the purse Miley Cyrus was carrying in the latest issue of Teen People. I grabbed it from my mom.

“You’re the best!” 

“I know.” She hugged me, and we were both careful not to mess up my outfit. “Go have fun, okay? Just make sure that you help out Jennie too.” I nodded, still looking at myself in the mirror. 

 My new haircut looked great, with the layers falling over my face and the highlights shining in the light. 

“Ah, my little girl.” My mom brushed my cheek with the back of her hand.  “How did you get so smart?” I stood taller.  

“I’m not your little girl.” She cocked her head.  

“No, I suppose you’re not.” For a oment, she almost looked sad, then she cleared her throat. “Do you want a ride?”  

“And have my mom drop me off?” I teased. “No way. I’ll walk.” She nodded, her eyes bright.  

“I figured you would. Keep your phone on, in case I need to reach you.” 

“Always.” That was the condition of the phone, and I wasn’t about to blow it. “I’m out of here.” I hesitated, then threw my arms around her. “Thanks, Mom!”  

“Anytime, sweets.” Then I let go of her and ran down the stairs. To go to Pop’s. Looking like a girl for the first time ever. 

I walked into Pop’s at ten after eight and nearly turned around and walked right back out when I saw how many kids were there. The place was packed, music was roaring, and there didn’t seem to be an empty seat. So many kids I knew, so many I didn’t.  

There were tables of girls giggling and laughing, tables of guys being loud, and tables of girls and guys hanging out. I suddenly felt completely out of my comfort zone. I hadn’t been to Pop’s on a Friday night in ages and now I remembered why. This wasn’t my scene.  

 At all. 

Especially without Jennie and Sana to back me. Where were they? I looked around but didn’t see them. If they weren’t here, I was so going to leave. . . 

“Y/n!” I jerked my gaze to the right, and saw Taehyung waving at me. He had one of the big booths by the window, by himself. Relief surged through me at the sight of someone I knew, even if it was Kim Taehyung. I pushed my way through the throng of kids.  

“Hey.” He grinned as I slid in opposite him. “I got here early to snag a table.” His gaze went to my hair and I suddenly got nervous. 

“Hi.” I fiddled with a few strands, wishing I’d put it in a ponytail. What had I been thinking letting my mom blow it dry? 

“You look cute.” He sounded surprised. I frowned.  

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Was he making fun of me? He shook his head once, his gaze traveling over my face, my outfit, and even my purse.  

“I just . . . I mean . . . you don’t look like you normally do.”I folded my arms across my chest. 

“So?” 

“So, I like it.” 

I studied his face for a long moment, but his gaze was steady. I realized that he meant it. I really did look okay. My body relaxed and I leaned back.  

“Well, then, I guess, thanks.” He nodded.  

“I’m going to get a drink. Hold the table?” 

“Sure.” I cleared my throat. “So, um, are Jennie and Sana coming, or what?” 

“Yeah.” He slid out of the booth to his feet, his gaze flicking to my hair again. He shook his head slightly, like he couldn’t quite believe what he was seeing. “So, you want something to drink?” I grinned at his reaction.  

“Diet Coke. Get a pitcher.That’s what Jennie and Sana drink too.” Jennie. . . I needed to deal with that. I mean, I should tell him now that she likes him.  

“Um, Taehyung, about Jennie...” Suddenly I lost my train of thought when I noticed Jungkook walking toward us, carrying a couple of drinks.  

He glanced at me and his eyes passed over me, then his gaze snapped back to my face, his eyebrows nearly shooting off his forehead. 

“What about her?” Taehyung prompted. I waved him off. 

“I’ll tell you later. I’m really thirsty. Go get me something to drink. Please,” I added. He shrugged and headed to the counter, giving Jungkook a second look as he walked by him, like he was trying to place him. Be cool, Y/n. It’s all about the sports. 

Jungkook headed straight toward my table, his gaze pinned to my face. I held my breath and sat straighter as he approached. I could totally handle this. Really. Jungkook paused at my table, his eyes scanning my outfi t like crazy.  

“Hey,” he said. He was wearing baggy jeans with a hole in the right knee, a black tee shirt, and a black leather jacket. Um, hello? Hottie alert. Since when did he own a leather jacket? 

“Hey, yourself.” I shifted in my seat and clenched my hands under the table, where he couldn’t see them. 

“Feeling better?”  

“Yeah, I’m feeling better. I crashed when I got home for a few hours. But I’m really wigging that I missed practice. I’m going to head over to the school in the morning to drill. You in?” His gaze flicked to my diamond pendant.  

“Um, I don’t know. . . .” I shrugged. “Whatever. Just thought I’d throw it out there. I was going to practice some of those moves we were talking about last night, during the game.” Talk soccer. Talk soccer. 

A fresh light came into his eyes and he slid opposite me. “Which ones?” Caught a whiff. He smelled good. I refused to notice. 

“That offensive move where the guy faked out the defender when he . . .” 

“Right.” He nodded. “That was slick. And the one right at the end of the game where he passed the ball . . .”  

“Well, duh, of course that one.” We’d talked about that play for at least ten minutes. “So, that’s cool if you’re not into it, but I was thinking I’d ask Jennie and Sana to help me, if you can’t make it.” He drummed his fingers on the table.  

“What time?” 

“Ten?” I smirked at him. “I suppose that’s too early for an old guy like you.” His eyebrows went up.  

“Old? I’m a year older than you.” 

“I know. You got any gray hair yet?” I reached over and pretended to pluck one from his head. “Got one.” 

He grabbed my wrist and tugged my hand away from his head. “Cut it out, you crazy chick.” But he was laughing, looking at me the way he always did. He tightened his grip around my wrist as I tried to get it free. “Fine. I’ll practice tomorrow. I can’t leave you on your own, you’re too dangerous to yourself.” 

 I stuck my tongue out at him and he leaned forward to peer at it. “Looks like the burns are healing well. No need for emergency tongue surgery.” 

“No thanks to you.” 

“Me?” 

“You bought the pizza, so it’s your fault.” I giggled as he tried to put on an offended face.  

“Oh, give it up, Jungkook. You’re so not innocent. . . .” Someone cleared their throat and we both looked up.  

Taehyung was standing there frowning at our hands. We followed his gaze, realizing at the same time that Jungkook still had his hand wrapped around my wrist. We jerked our hands back, and he slid out of the booth, his face suddenly wary again.  

Oh, great. Back to that already? He’d been the one holding on to me! 

“Okay, so, see you later, Y/n,” Jungkook said. He nodded at Taehyung. “Later.” He grabbed his drinks and bolted. 

I tried to watch where he went, but Taehyung moved into my line of vision as he sat down, so I craned my neck to see around him, relocating Jungkook just in time to see him sit down at a table full of guys at the back. No, wait. It wasn’t just guys, there were girls too.  

I sat up straighter, my heart starting to pound. Did that blond hair belong to Winter? Was he at Pop’s with her? I clenched my fists as I saw her turn to the side so I could see her profile. Yep. It was Winter and she had her hand on Jungkook’s arm. And he wasn’t bolting! 

 What was up with that? 

Since when did he like girly girls? Did he actually like them and he was just pretending to hate them as a reason not to like me? Was it me then, that he didn’t want that kind of relationship with? 

I felt sick. Totally sick. 

“Y/n?” I dragged my gaze off the train wreck at the back of the room and looked at the person in front of me. 

“What?” 

“You okay? You look kinda strange.” I took a deep breath, which was totally shaky.  

“I’m fine.” He slid the pitcher and a glass of ice toward me.  

That’s the guy from the football game, right?” 

“Uh-huh.” I tipped the glass and managed to pour the soda without spilling it all over the table. Was Jungkook still there with Winter? Was his arm around her? Was he looking at me? I wanted to know. I had to know, however refused to turn around. 

“So, um, he keeps looking over here,” Taehyung said. 

“Really?” I grinned, but I didn’t look at Jungkook. No way was he going to catch me looking at him. Taehyung leaned back in his seat.  

“So you said you guys weren’t dating, but that’s not true, is it?” I snorted. “Oh, it’s true.” I took a long drink of soda and eyed the window we were sitting next to, trying to see if I could see Jungkook in the reflection.  Was that his table? Yes, yes, it was! Right on!  

Then my gut sank. Was his arm really around the back of Winter’s chair? It couldn’t be! Must be a distortion from the reflection. I looked at Taehyung. 

“Is his arm around the back of that girl’s chair?” He looked at me for a long moment then he turned in Jungkook’s direction. 

“Yeah, it is.” I pressed my lips together and tightened my grip on my cup. 

“So, that’s how it is.” He sounded resigned. I stared at the little bubbles on the surface of my soda, watching each one pop. You will not look at Jungkook. 

“How what is?” 

“You have a crush on him.” I jerked my gaze to Taehyung. “What? No way! Hah. That’s totally stupid!” He lifted his brows. I lifted mine right back. For a minute, we had an unspoken eyebrow lifting contest, then I grinned. 

“You win. I’m getting a headache.” He smiled and let his brows drop down. “So you really meant it on the field that day when you said you weren’t into me?” I shrugged. 

“Huh.” He shifted in his seat.  

“So, maybe I should hit the road, then. Before the others get here.” He started to slide out of the seat and I grabbed his wrist.  

“Wait!” 

“Y/n—” 

“What do you think of Jennie?” He looked at me blankly. “Jennie? She’s nice, I guess.” 

“But is she cute?” His forehead wrinkled slightly.  

“Well, yeah. Of course.” Oh, she was so going to kill me for this, I knew.  

“She really likes you.” He stared at me, his eyes wide.  

“What?” 

“See, that’s one reason why I never thought of you as a guy. I couldn’t! She’s liked you forever and I’d never do that to her.” He leaned back in his seat with a thump, staring at me. 

“You’re kidding. Jennie? But she’s such a flirt. I didn’t think she meant anything by it. . . .” 

“She’s that way only with you.” I rolled my eyes. “Seriously, Tae, give her a chance. She’s actually really normal, she just wigs around you because she likes you.” 

“Wow.” He rubbed his chin, a thoughtful look on his face. “Wow.” I leaned forward.  

“So? Do you like her, then?” On second thought, she wasn’t going to kill me. She was going to love me forever for this one. He grimaced ever so slightly.  

“She’s not really my type, you know?” Oh, no.

“But she’s cute and friendly. . . .” 

“Does she ever sweat?” He rolled his eyes. “That’s why I like you, Y/n, you’re cool. You’re into sports. I dig that.” 

“But you’re not into sports. All you do after school is hang out at my practice. That’s why I can’t like you. I can’t be with a guy who’s less of an athlete than I am.” He shot me a cocky grin, his eyes suddenly sparkling. 

“Before you judge me, you might ask me if I play any sports.” I frowned. 

“Do you play any sports?” 

“Ice hockey.” Surprise made my mouth drop open.  

“You do? When?” He pulled the straw out of his drink and began to twist it around his finger . 

“Well, as you probably know, our school doesn’t have ice hockey, so I play in a private league year round. We have ice time at five A.M. every day, and play games on Sunday afternoons.” 

“Really?” I leaned forward, interested in what he had to say for the first time ever. “Are you good?” He shrugged.  

“I’m okay.”  

“Which means either that you’re terrible or that you’re great and you’re too humble to admit it.” I cocked my head. 

 “Knowing you, I tend to doubt the humble thing, so you must not be very good. . . .” He grinned.  

“Actually, I went to Canada last winter to play in some tournaments over the Christmas holiday.” 

“Really?” I drummed my finngers on the table, feeling like I was looking at him for the fi rst time ever. His eyes were sort of a dark green and his eyelashes were long. Interesting.  

“That’s so cool. I had no idea. I thought you were just this guy with nothing going on in his life other than torturing me.” His smile got a little strained.  

“I torture you?”  

“Well, yeah, usually. Right now, you’re almost tolerable, though.” I sat up, wrapping my hands around my drink.  

“So, tell me about Canada. Did you play Canadian teams or was it tournaments, or what?” 

“You really want to know?” he asked, sounding surprised. 

“Most girls don’t really want to hear about hockey.” 

“I do.” I leaned my elbows on the table and propped my chin up in my hands.  

“I think it sounds awesome. I’d love to be good enough to play in other countries. That’s my goal, you know. To be able to play college soccer, then go international. But you’re already doing it.” I sighed, gazing at him. “That’s so cool. How long have you been skating?” A genuine smile softened his face and he shoved his drink out of the wayand leaned forward, clasping his hands on the table. “Well, I started when I was six. . . .” 

Twenty minutes later, we were deep in conversation about sports when Taehyung suddenly stopped talking and looked at me. Uh-oh. Did I have mascara on my eyelid or something? 

“What?” 

“You want to go on a date sometime? A real date?”  

Oh, wow. I sat back and looked at him. I mean, I was having a blast talking to him and he was cute and everything, but, well . . . he wasn’t Jungkook. He leaned forward.  

“I mean, we’re having fun, right? Getting along?” 

“Yeah.” And we were. I should like him. I should. There was nothing wrong with him. 

“So, let’s try it.” 

“Well . . .” No. I couldn’t do it. I just didn’t want to. I was simply too into Jungkook and going on a date with him wouldn’t fix it. Besides, I couldn’t do that to Jennie even if I did like him. 

“Y/n?” I cringed and looked up. Jennie was standing right next to the table, a look of disbelieving horror on her face. 

“Jennie! Taehyung and I were just talking about you. . . .”  

“Yeah, I heard. Was that before or after you told him how cool he was for being a hockey player? Before or after he asked you out on a date?” Her voice was cold and I saw Taehyung’s eyes widen. Sana stood behind her, looking way uncomfortable. 

“Um, so, what’s up, guys?” Her gaze darted around the room. “Is . . . Jimin here?” 

“He’s coming,” Taehyung said, still staring at Jennie who looked like she was about to explode. There was a definite thoughtful gleam to his eye, the kind a guy gets when he’s just been told that a girl is in love with him, like, “Oh, here is one of my adoring fans.” 

“Come to the bathroom with me. We need to talk,” I said, trying to catch her eye. 

“No. Way.” Her eyes flashed with anger. I’d never seen her so mad. “You just lost me as a friend, Y/n. I will kick your butt on the soccer field next week and you are so going down.” She spun around. “Come on Sana.” She shot me an apologetic look.  

“Call me later,” she mouthed. “We’ll talk.” And then she hurried after Jennie. 

Shit.  

I dove out of the booth and grabbed Jennie’s arm.  

“Wait!” She whirled to face me.  

“How could you do that? How could you go for him? You know I like him!” 

“I didn’t go for him!” I lowered my voice, knowing Taehyung was only a few feet away, but the place was so loud that I prayed he wouldn’t be able to hear me. “I told him you liked him!” 

“What?” She screeched. Taehyung could totally hear that. 

“How could you do that? I’ll never be able to look at him again!” 

“But, I thought that’s what you wanted me to do. . . .” 

“Forget it, Y/n. You are so history.” She pointed at me. “Don’t you dare follow me or I swear I will climb up on that table and scream to everyone that you’re in love with Jeon Jungkook” I dropped her arm and sucked in my breath.  

“You wouldn’t!” 

“Oh. I would. And for your information, Jungkook is outside right now, kissing Winter.” I recoiled in horror, my hand going to my mouth. 

“What?” She leaned into my space and glared at me.  

“Stay out of my life, Y/n and prepare yourself to kiss your spot on varsity goodbye. You take what I want, and I’ll take what you want.” And then she was gone, Sana running after her.

I didn’t dare follow her, not with that threat, but she had to be lying. Jungkook would never kiss Winter. Never! But when I looked back at his table,he wasn’t there. And neither was Winter. Oh, God. Had Jennie been telling the truth? 

My stomach churned and I sank back onto the seat across from Taehyung. He eyed me, looking way too amused by the whole situation. Why wouldn’t he? Two girls in a screaming fight over him? Of course he’d think it was hilarious.  I glared at him and all he did was smile.  

“So, I’m thinking that you and me on a date . . . not a great idea, huh Y/n?” 

“Gee, you think?” His smile widened.  

“So, about Jennie. . .” 

“What?” I snapped. I had to get home, this night was a disaster.  

“I had no idea she could yell like that. It was a good threat, too. Think she can pull it off?” I stared at him.  

“You like her now because she yelled at me?” He shrugged, still looking way too happy.  

“I didn’t realize she had it in her. Is she really going to kick your butt on the soccer field?” How could he sound so cheerful? I stuck my tongue out at him and left. I’d had enough. 

Jennie’s threat kept hanging over me like a bad grade. If she really decided to bust her butt on the soccer field, I was in such trouble, especially since I already had one bad try out. No I had to forget Jennie, she was going down.  

I was already drenched in sweat by the time Jungkook arrived a little after ten. I was burning my way through some drills and I had my back toward that side of the field but I suddenly knew he was there. It was like my bones got all tingly and my pulse jacked up. 

He said nothing and I didn’t turn around. All I could think about was him with Winter. Had he left with her? Why had he let her put her hand on his arm? Was all his anti girl sentiment actually a lie? Was it just me he didn’t like? Had he really kissed her? Gosh, so many questions to so littleanswers. 

Scowling, I slammed the ball at the net. It careened over the top of it and sailed into the next field. 

“Nice shot.” Was he sarcastic with Winter too or was I the only lucky one?  

“Thanks,” I snapped, jogging after my ball to retrieve it. I picked it up and turned around, almost stopping at the sight of him. He was wearing navy sweats and a fleece against the brisk morning air and he was wearing a baseball cap on backward. So casual, so cute. So unfair. 

“So, want to do some passing drills this morning, then?” he asked not even giving me the slightest inspection. 

“Yeah.” I walked up and dropped the ball at his feet. “Sounds good.” He cocked his head. 

“Good morning to you, Ms. Cranky.” 

“Good morning to you.” I ignored the remark about my mood, because, well, he was right. I was being a grouch and it wasn’t like I was going to tell him the reason. What was I supposed to say? Ask him whether he was dating Winter? 

“Are you dating Winter?” Oh shit! How had that slipped out? Jungkook looked startled.  

“Winter? You’re kidding, right?” I grabbed the ball with my toe and headed away from him to start the passing drill.  

“You were there with her. She was all over you and you didn’t seem to mind.” I kicked him the ball and started running down the field. 

“All over me?” He slammed the ball and I had to sprint to catch it before it sailed past me.  

“She and her friend had a table and they let us join them when there were no other open ones. Not a big deal.” I cut in front of him and he passed me the ball as he split in the other direction.  

“Well she had her hand on your arm. What’s up with that?” I kicked the ball ahead of him and felt a mild sense of satisfaction when he grunted and dug in to try to catch up to it. 

“I don’t even remember. What’s it matter to you?” He was breathing heavily as he dribbled the ball a few feet, waiting for me to move into position. 

“It doesn’t matter except Taehyung was convinced you and I were dating, even when I denied it.” I ran across the field and nodded for the pass. “So when he saw you and Winter getting it on he thought I was all pathetic because you were hanging with her in front of me.”  

Not quite the truth, but close enough if he wanted to hear what I was really saying. Jungkook smashed the ball at me and I had to head it to keep it from sailing past me out of bounds. 

“Sorry,” he muttered, blocking the ball and trying a much more controlled pass right to me. “Winter asked if you and I were a couple.” My cleat caught in the turf and I almost went down. 

“What? ” I regained my balance and dribbled a couple of yards while Jungkook sprinted toward the goal. “You and I? As if!” I lifted the ball up toward Jungkook’s face.  

“Did you kiss her?” He scowled and headed the ball into the upper right corner of the net. Then he spun toward me, his hands on his hips. 

“Did you just ask me if I kissed her?” I eased to a stop in front of him.

“Did you?” His cheeks turned red and my gut tightened in dismay. Was that a guilty look?  

“Jungkook! Why didn’t you tell me you were dating her? I thought we were all bonding over our ‘we aren’t into the dating scene’ thing, and then I find out that you’re dating her?” 

“I didn’t lie to you,” he protested. “I said I wasn’t dating her and I’m not. I’m not dating anyone.” 

“But did you kiss her?” 

“Why does it matter to you?” 

“Because I thought you were my friend and friends don’t lie to each other. I trusted you because I thought you were like me, not into dating. We made fun of people who got stupid around the opposite sex. Was all that a lie too?” 

“No! I’m not dating her!” I folded my arms over my chest, well aware that he was avoiding the bigger question.  

“Did you kiss her?” He turned away to go retrieve the soccer ball that was still sitting in the back of the goal.  

“She kissed me when we left,” he muttered. “It was nothing. Friends. I didn’t kiss her back.” 

“Friends?” Oh, God! My stomach was killing me and I felt this weird buzzing in my ears. “You don’t kiss someone that you’re only friends with! What kind of stupid comment is that?” He grabbed the ball and spun toward me, a scowl on his face.  

“It’s not the same kind of kiss, trust me.” 

“Was it on the lips?” His cheeks got even redder.  

“That’s not the point.” 

“It is the point.” I marched up to him and poked him in the chest. “If you kiss a girl on the lips, it’s not a friends kiss. It’s a dating kiss.” 

“It doesn’t have to be.” 

“Of course it does!” His eyes narrowed and I realized I’d gone too far, riding him over Winter. Come on, Y/n, get it together! 

Then he suddenly dropped the ball, set his hand o on my shoulders and pulled me toward him. Before I even knew what he was doing, he bent his head and kissed me. 

On the lips. 

Fuck 

His lips were soft and warm and he tasted like mint toothpaste and my belly jumped like a mile. His fingers tightened on my shoulders and I instinctively grabbed his wrists as he kissed me again, so gently, so soft, so perfect. 

He tilted his head, his breath hot against my lips. A chill shot down my spine and I kissed him back. This was how a kiss was supposed to be. It was amazing and perfect and awesome and I would never, ever, ever forget this moment. Then suddenly he froze and his lips stopped moving, so I froze too.  

He broke the kiss and looked down at me, his hands still gripping my shoulders, his eyes all dark and intense. I stared at him, my lips tingling and my body all freaking out. He cleared his throat.  

“See?” I wet my lips trying to get my brain working again. 

“See what?” That you like me? That that was the best kiss in the history of the world? He took a breath. Then another one.  

“A guy and a girl can kiss on the lips and it can be a friends kiss.” I blinked as his words sank in.  

“A friends kiss?” 

“Yeah.” He dropped his hands from my shoulders and sort of shook out his shoulders. “See? We kissed. It meant nothing, because we’re just friends.” He sent me a sideways glance. “Right?” 

Depression settled like a black cloud in my mind as I realized what he meant. The kiss had meant nothing. He’d kissed me to prove a point. To win an argument. But it had been so perfect! How could it have meant nothing? It had been my first kiss! First kisses were supposed to be perfect! They weren’t  supposed to mean nothing! 

“So?” His voice sounded a little ragged. “You take back your comment about Winter now?”I gaped at him, struggling to get my mind together.Should I kick him in the shin? Cry? Leave?  

“You have no right to kiss me!” He frowned.  

“It wasn’t that kind of kiss. It was just a kiss.” Just a kiss. This was horrible! He was so not into me that he’d kissed me, I mean he really kissed me and he obviously hadn’t felt even the faintest spark of anything. 

He wasn’t into me. 

My throat tightened up and my eyes suddenly got all watery. Fuck   I wasn’t going to let him make me cry! I jerked free of him and spun away, blinking as hard as I could.  

“So, yeah, so Jennie is going to try to beat me out at varsity so I have to, um, practice, really hard this week, because, you know, I don’t want to, like, not make it, you know?” The ball was blurry, but I grabbed it and started heading back up the field. “So, um, I think, like, yeah, maybe- run that drill another time?” 

When he didn’t answer, I turned around. He was standing where I’d left him, the strangest look on his face as he stared after me. 

“What?” I snapped. 

“The friends thing,” he said. “You buy it now?” 

“Oh, yeah, sure. That kiss makes it clear. No magic. Whatever. Can we practice now?” For a long moment, I thought he wasn’t going to answer, then he nodded and seemed to kick into gear again.  

“Sure. Let’s do it.” He jogged past me, flicked my ponytail and kept running. Great, we were back to the ponytail flicking relationship. It was the perfect foundation for another week of practice. 

But as I squared up with the ball, I began to seriously doubt whether I could take another week of practice with him, even for the sake of varsity.  

Because I just couldn’t get that kiss out of my mind. 

[zosa95]

Jude looked over as Gemma approached the gate. He recognized that look of determination. It was like Chessie's when she'd decided to pry information out of him. Or convince him to do something he hadn't planned on. There was no point in trying to resist. While Jude could easily stand up to ninety-nine percent of the world's population, Chessie was a force of nature. And apparently, it was genetic.

Gemma: I brewed a pot of tea and made your favorite apple cake.

Jude grinned. Oh yeah, he was gonna be here for some time. But he would have good company and delicious food. It wouldn't be a hardship.

Gemma: Want to sit on the dock?

Jude: Sounds good.

Gemma waited until Jude ate his cake before starting in on him.

Gemma: Tell me about Chessie.

Jude: What do you want to know?

Gemma: I guess, just start with your first memories of her.

Jude: I don't remember when I didn't know her. She spent most of her summers at Lydia's before we were in high school. Then, she was here for about a month during her summers until she married Marcello.

Gemma: They married young?

Jude: Yeah. It was about the same time Tinsley was pregnant with Sybil.

Gemma: What was she like?

Jude: Fun, annoying, feisty, mischievous, and always drawing or painting. As kids, we rode bicycles everywhere, stole crops from gardens and orchards to have picnics, and pranked people along with each other. We had a small gang we hung with, and we thought rules were for boring people. We took risks during our Truth or Dare games. Chessie was the only one that ended up at the doctor. Most of us just went home sporting scrapes and bruises.

Gemma: Tell me something stupid the two of you did.

Jude: (laughing) Only one stupid thing? Ah, Chessie dared me to rappel down a pine tree taller than a two-story house. I found a long rope and used her as a counterweight. I tied the rope around her waist and told her to sit still. Vivi and my mum walked up as I leapt from the tree. They freaked out, only to lose their minds as Chessie flew past them, with my weight and momentum dragging her across the grass. Chessie was laughing so hard that she peed herself, and we were both grounded for two weeks.

Gemma laughed until she cried. Then, she wiped her eyes only to start laughing again as she visualized the event once more.

[stellamarielu]

show me

john mitchell x female reader

summary: bloodlust and sexual desire have become one in the same to mitchell making it increasingly difficult to have a normal relationship. so when you find yourself frustrated by the lack of physical intimacy, he figures out a way to solve the problem

content: nsfw, 18+, cursing, mentions of blood, mentions of death, a little bit of angst, a sprinkle of fluff, a shit ton of dirty talk, mutual masturbation [kinda], basically mitchell just wants to watch you get off, fingering, squirting? [lord forgive me]

authors note: first mitchell fic let’s go!! so, I wanted to start with something more tame for mitchell since it was my first time writing for his character, but i did no such thing. this is just full speed no brakes very smutty so if that’s not your jam just keep scrolling! there is some fluff and a little bit of angst but other than that it's just filth

-

It had been nearly a month since you learned the truth about Mitchell. What started as innocent interactions and flirtatious jokes turned into the two of you regularly going for drinks at the local pub. Before you knew it, your casual little dates led to you joining him and his roommates for movie nights at their home which always ended with you both cuddled up next to each other on the couch. 

Mitchell tried not to let you into his complicated life but failed miserably after the first time he felt that warm fuzzy sensation in his chest when he saw you. You had him wrapped around your finger in a way no one ever had, so much so that he started referring to you as his girlfriend, which of course made George and Annie annoyingly giddy. They absolutely adored you and thought you’d be good for Mitchell, someone to motivate him– to ground him. It all happened so quickly but you couldn’t help it, neither of you could. You were completely infatuated with one another; it was almost sickening. 

But of course, along with the fresh adoration of a new partner also came their baggage. It was something you expected. What you weren’t expecting however, were the skeletons in Mitchell’s closet to be so literal.

He had gone back and forth about telling you the truth and of course Annie had convinced him to be honest with you.

“If your feelings for her are real and you want a genuine relationship you have to tell her Mitchell.” 

He knew she was right, but it didn’t stop the anxiety weighing on his chest at the thought of rejection. It was terrifying. The possibility that you would run screaming kept him putting it off day after day until one night the two of you were having dinner at your apartment and it just kind of stumbled out of his mouth. 

“A Vampire?” 

The words slipped from you in a giggle, your face full of amusement at his confession. You figured he must’ve been trying to make some kind of stupid joke until you noticed his dead serious demeanor.

When he refused to meet your tickled expression with a smile of his own, your brain started running laps around itself trying to piece together the last few weeks of your life. Confusion and fear filled your senses and for a split second it felt like you were sitting across from a complete stranger. Despite your inner dialogue telling you to run, you didn’t leave. You didn’t even get up from your seat. You just sat and waited for him to explain himself further. 

So he did. He told you everything.

It took hours of explanations from him and hesitant stares from you, but after a night of discussing his condition you were sure he was telling the truth, and you were also somehow open to it. 

Mitchell was surprised by how understanding you had been about the whole thing. After the initial shock, the two of you laid on your couch until the sun came up and you interrogated him about his supernatural lifestyle.

he answered every last question. 

You learned about the different cities he’d lived in, the people he had known throughout his long life, who he once was, who he still longed to become. You admired his desire to live differently than the others like him. 

Even after listening to the man next to you give hour’s worth of evidence proving he was a bloodthirsty killer, you still managed to fall asleep in his arms. At the end of the day, it was still Mitchell; Mitchell who mopped floors and made crude jokes, Mitchell who was always there to give you a comforting smile or lighthearted wink when you were having a rough day, Mitchell who you had fallen head over heels for, Mitchell who wanted to be human so badly that he was attempting sobriety from the very thing his body craved most. Nothing could change the way you felt for him and so you held it together when he told you a secret about himself that he was sure would have your relationship unraveling.  

Only he didn’t tell you everything. There was one little detail about his life that he left out that night. He told you about the countless people he killed– about the guilt that ate away at him as he remembered their faces. He even confessed to you that he had given in to his bloodlust not long before you met. All the grim details about his murderous tendencies were true, but he made sure to leave out the part about how he killed them. 

You knew that he drank away their lives, that he consumed their blood until there was nothing left of them. But he couldn’t bring himself to tell you that it so often started by seducing a woman- getting her naked in bed, writhing and vulnerable underneath him. He hated that he’d weaponized sex for so long that he could no longer differentiate his longing for blood and his desire for sexual release– the two had become synonymous. It was so bad that anytime he found himself in a heated position with a woman he couldn’t tell if the passion he felt burning in his veins was actual yearning or just a desire to feed. This made his relationship with you extraordinarily difficult. 

You were so handsy. Of course you were. The two of you had been dating for nearly three months and the furthest you’d gone was a clothed second base. 

At first, Mitchell told you he wanted to take things slow, a little odd maybe, but you respected his boundaries and kept the physical touch to a minimum. But time went on, and the restraint you had both practiced began to falter. You started getting little tastes of what it would be like to have his hands on your body and his mouth on your skin it was driving you insane. Every time he kissed you, his lips lingered on yours and there was a certain hint of impatience that always peeked through. You could sense the hunger in the way he would crash his lips on you, his mouth molding to yours and his tongue tracing your bottom lip. Sometimes he would even let his hands find your hips gripping you tightly and pulling you into him as close as possible. Not to mention the little groans that would slip from him when you tugged on his hair. Those little grunts made you want to drop to your knees in front of him and see what other sounds you could pull from his mouth. 

You were constantly reminding yourself to take things slowly, but it was so hard when there was such a strong sexual tension tying the two of you together– or at least you thought there was; but based on the way Mitchell would break your kisses and take his hands off of your body like he just burned them on a stovetop, you were beginning to think maybe he wasn’t craving you in the same way.

Only there was no doubt in his mind that Mitchell wanted to fuck you. He was obsessed with you. He thought about what you looked like naked at least once a day and dreamed about hearing the little whimpers that you’d make when he was finally able to get between your legs. he wanted you, but he was terrified of possibly putting you in danger, so he tried to keep his hands to himself, Just for a little bit. 

At least that’s what he told himself at the beginning. He would work his way up to having sex with you. Like little practice runs, he would let himself give in to the temptation, a make out session here and there, maybe even some heavy petting- but he would always put an end to it before it went any further.

He had to pace himself with you. He needed to be able to control the blood driven part of him that had most of his hookups ending in red stained sheets. You deserved the best part of him. The part that he was convinced was still human. The part that could take his time and indulge in the intimacy of knowing another’s naked body. He knew that part of him still existed- he knew because you brought it out of him. With every touch of your hand to his cheek or the feeling of your sweet lips on his, he felt it. Hell, even when you had your fingers intertwined in his hair, pulling at it while you attacked his neck with kisses, he could feel a deep appreciation for the way you loved him. It was an innocent kind of love. It was pure and gentle and all-consuming and the last thing he wanted to do was ruin it by pushing things too far. He wouldn’t ruin this- ruin you. 

But then you were straddling him on his bed. Your legs spread on either side of his hips as he grabbed onto you, guiding your movements as you slid your fully clothed center over his, your lips meshing in a messy kiss.

The house was empty other than the two of you who were now involved in a very heated make out session in his bedroom. His hands were splayed across your thighs, holding them hungrily and his mouth chasing yours. Neither of you were showing any intentions of holding back, so you took it upon yourself to take things a bit further. 

You let your hands fall to the button of his jeans–undiscovered territory that you were determined to explore at the feeling of his obvious arousal beneath you. Just as you were fumbling with the zipper of his jeans, Mitchell broke your kiss and took a hold of your wrist in an abrupt attempt to stop you. 

You looked down at him, trying your best to hide the defeat you felt from yet another rejection. His eyes looked almost remorseful before he averted his gaze downward to where your hands met, he was tracing little circles on your wrist. 

You were out of breath, chest heaving, and thoughts jumbled. You were trying not to read into it, but this whole situation was so confusing to you. Was there something you didn’t know? He seemed to be enjoying himself just moments ago; so why was he stopping? Did he ever intend to have sex with you? 

“Mitchell, are you attracted to me?” The words flew out of your mouth as you leaned back, still sitting on his lap. 

“What?” 

His expression was a mixture of confusion and amusement which only frustrated you further because what on earth did he have to be confused about? 

“Seriously. I get it if you want to take it slow, but It’s been weeks and I’m starting to get scared that you don’t actually want to have sex with me.” 

He was watching as you spoke, a small smile curling on his lips. He couldn’t help it; you were so cute and flustered sitting on top of him talking about how badly you wanted to have sex. How could he not be attracted to you? How could you think something so utterly insane? 

“Why are you looking at me like that?” 

You were questioning him and teasingly shoving at his chest so that his back sunk further into the mattress beneath him. The only response coming from the man laying under you was a low chuckle. 

“Mitchell, talk to me.” Your voice softened.

You were serious now; Mitchell could hear it in your worried tone and see it in the unsure gaze holding his own. 

He sat up with an audible sigh and you took that as a sign things were taking a more serious turn. 

You carefully moved off his lap, opting for a seat next to him and plopping down on the bed. You sat facing him with your legs folded underneath you and your hand gently resting on his thigh. 

Everything about you was inviting his awaiting admission; your body language, the gentle smile encouraging him to go on, the way your eyes fell on him in an already understanding gaze. You were too good for him– too kind. Here you were willing to accept every last part of him and he was getting ready to tell you he uses sex to aid his homicidal affinities. 

“I did want to take things slow- I do.” He started with his eyes glued on you.

”I just, I don’t want to hurt you.” He spoke slowly, still searching your eyes for any changes to your expression.

“And you’ll hurt me if we have sex?” You were trying to clarify and make sense of what Mitchell was saying.

“I used to-“ He began but stopped himself. 

He looked down at your hand on his leg. Your touch so sincere. 

“I used to use sex as a method of getting women alone and vulnerable so I could- you know...”

He was still staring down refusing to look at you as he spoke. He couldn’t stand to watch the inevitable look of fear on your face. 

“It was just so easy. The first time I had sex after I turned, it was such a rush. Everything was intensified; her heart rate, the blood rushing through her veins, how much control I had. I didn’t even realize what I was doing and then she was just...” 

His words were trailing off yet again, he couldn’t bring himself to say it out loud. That he was a manipulative evil monster who prayed on women and got off on killing them.

 It wasn’t true though. That side of him was something else entirely. It was someone he didn’t even recognize when he was with you. 

His thoughts were interrupted when he felt your delicate hands cupping his face, bringing his eyes up to meet yours. Instead of a look of terror, your face held nothing but forgiveness and warmth. 

“So you’re scared you’re going to kill me if we sleep together?” Your words were point blank as you stared into his eyes. 

“No.” His response was instant, but then quickly followed by a correction, 

“Well maybe. I don’t know, it’s complicated.” 

He paused.

“I never want to hurt you. I know that much.” 

The look in his eyes was so gentle, begging for the forgiveness you’d already given.

“There’s just this part of me that I can’t control, and I’m so scared that I’ll get too caught up and won’t be able to stop myself.”

“Have you ever had sex without-“ 

You began to ask but Mitchell finished your question for you.

“Killing someone?”

He looked away again, unable to come to terms with his own sinful memories.  

“Yeah, but it’s been a long time.” He confessed.

You leaned back on the bed creating a bit more space between your bodies. You had a million thoughts running through your mind but the only one that mattered was the realization of how much Mitchell had come to mean to you in such a short time. Everything felt right with him. You were immersed so deeply in his world that this new piece of information just felt like a little blip on the radar of your lives. You would figure it out together. All of it. 

“Well okay then, we’ll just keep doing what we’re doing until you feel ready.”

As soon as the words left your mouth his eyes were back on yours. He was giving you the most hopeful smile, it nearly melted you. God- you’d do anything for him. 

“And if you never do, then I’ll just invest in a really good vibrator.”

You were joking to help lighten the mood. You didn’t want Mitchell to feel like you were judging him or disappointed in the new information regarding your sex life. 

Your comment had Mitchell cracking a smile for the first time in last five minutes and the sight of it warmed your heart. You were both just sat there looking at each other with silly little grins plastered on your faces, the dark tension in the room slowly dissipating. 

The silence between you lasted for a few seconds, Mitchell looked as if he was contemplating something before he finally spoke.

“Is that how you’ve been surviving this whole time?” There was a hint of laughter dancing in his words.

“My sweet girl gettin’ so frustrated she has to run home to relieve herself?”

His head was now cocked to the side as he probed you with a follow up question. He was smirking, clearly enjoying the effect his words had on you. If he couldn’t see the goosebumps on your skin, he sure as hell could hear your heart racing. 

“I’m sorry baby, you shouldn’t have to take care of yourself like that.” 

Mitchell’s voice was low, and he was moving his body closer to yours. He was hovering over you as your back rested against the warmth of his comforter. The sound of your heartbeat was amplified in his ears by the sudden closeness. 

This was new, you thought. 

Mitchell had never been this bold with his words. It was so filthy– so tempting.

“Do you think about me when you touch yourself?”

His eyes were heavy and his jaw tense as he awaited your response.

You thought about him every single time you touched yourself, which was more often than you’d like to admit given the current circumstances of your relationship. You had come up with one hundred different scenarios that involved you and Mitchell naked in his bed to aid you in your self-induced pleasure. 

But instead of divulging all of that to him, you just nodded your head in a simple reply to his question. 

“Show me.” His voice was dripping with desire, and you thought his eyes might burn a hole through you with how hard he was staring. 

“Mitchell…” 

You suddenly felt so shy. Just minutes ago, you were grinding down on his lap hungry to unbutton his jeans. Now he was asking to watch you touch yourself and your confidence was wavering. 

“C’mon baby. I wanna see how you get off.” His tone was so sultry, you were nearly slipping your pants off at sound of it.  

“Let me see baby.” He was intertwining his fingers in your hair and pulling you in for another messy kiss. 

“Fuck- I think about it all the time. What it would be like to watch you cum.” His hands were now trailing down your body, his touch was more rough than usual, but you didn’t seem to mind. 

“I touch myself thinkin’ about you too baby.” His gaze was scorching, as he watched you fumbling with your jeans in such hasty desperation to get them off. 

“Always so worked up from not being able to touch you the way I want to. It drives me fuckin’ insane.”

Now he was assisting you; pulling your jeans down your thighs, just as needy to see your body freed from them. 

Mitchell’s hands instantly found the exposed skin of your thighs as soon as your jeans came off. He was basking in the feeling of your warm skin, memorizing the way you felt in his hands as he gripped and kneaded the flesh of your upper leg all the way up to your hips. 

You were pulling him back down in a frenzied kiss when you felt his hands at your sides teasing the material of your underwear. His fingers were hooked in the waistband of your panties, and you found the kiss getting sloppier the closer you got to being half naked on Mitchell’s bed. Your lips were moving in a chaotic harmony when he pulled back to speak again. 

“Is this okay?” 

It was as if he was breaking character for just a second. The dirty words of primal desire were replaced with a tender whisper. The man who was just ripping your jeans from your body was now searching your face for approval before going any further. 

“Mhmm.” You were humming and nodding your head simultaneously placing your hands over his on your hips and helping him peel your underwear from your body. 

“Jesus- fuck.”

Mitchell couldn’t help the profanities that fell from his mouth as you looked up at him with such an innocently sensual gaze while you guided his hands down your legs. You looked so desperate for him.  

You were kicking your panties from your legs and instinctively closing your thighs, partially for the friction but mostly due to the nerves of your sudden vulnerability.

 Mitchell could sense your brief hesitation and wanted nothing more than to make you feel comfortable. To tell you how fucking hot this was- because it was. He hadn’t had sex in so long he thought he might just cum in his pants from the sight of you like this. 

He kissed you once more, deep and passionate while his hands found their place back on your thighs. He was running his fingers over your skin and grabbing each of your legs slowly pulling them apart as he situated himself between them. Then he broke the kiss and sat back on his knees to get a better view at your body all sprawled out on his sheets. 

“Fuck you’re so perfect.” His voice was close to a groan as he gazed down at your exposed center. He was in a hypnotic state at seeing you spread open all for him, so wet and ready; he was losing his mind.

“I wanna see you baby.” 

His fingertips were tracing your inner thighs, and you almost had to shut your legs again at the sensation; his touch causing you to let out a shaky breath. 

“wanna see how you play with yourself when you think about me.” 

You were closing your eyes and letting your hand trail down your stomach until it reached your core. If it weren’t for the fact that you were so pent up with sexual frustration from all the nights you had to leave Mitchell’s house after make-out sessions that led nowhere, you might have been more embarrassed by how quick you were to oblige with his directions. You were eager to finally get some sort of relief from him, even if it came in the form of his eyes on your body and his foul whispers in your ear. 

Your fingers were circling your clit and the sounds that came from the man above you were utterly carnal. 

“fuckkk.”

In a long, drawn-out groan Mitchell was releasing pent up frustrations of his own while watching your hand between your legs. 

He had envisioned you like this a million times but not one of those images even came close to what he was witnessing right now. He’d intended on trying to keep his composure but as soon as your fingers met your cunt, he couldn’t contain himself. 

“That’s it baby.”

Mitchell swooned, his body practically shaking as he watched you. All he wanted to do was replace your hand with is. He wanted to feel you. Needed to show you that the little scenarios of him you had conjured up in your head weren’t even comparable to the real thing. 

“So pretty for me.”

His words were only pushing you further into the lust filled abyss that threatened to swallow you whole. Your fingers were working faster in tight little circles and moans were forming in your throat and fighting to fall from your lips. 

“Look at me baby.”

You followed his command, looking up at him. He was going back and forth between looking into your eyes and watching the hand between your legs. He felt the familiar simmer of heat in his chest and the buzzing in his head– sensations that often came with his inability to stop himself from indulging in his deepest desires. He was teetering on the edge of losing all control when he found your eyes again, your tender stare bringing him back to reality. 

“Do you wish it was me touchin’ you like that.” He kept talking, hoping it would help tether him to his humanity. 

The low growl of his voice had you feeling brave enough to bring your hand lower, dipping a finger into yourself and whimpering out in pleasure at the thought of it being his touch instead. 

“Bet I could make you feel so good with my fingers- fuck.” 

The second he saw your hand venture lower he could feel his cock swelling in his pants. There was absolutely no way he would be able to keep his hands to himself now. Not while he watched you slipping your delicate little fingers into your cunt- something he had quite literally dreamed of doing for months now. 

“Oh sweet girl I need to touch you.”

You watched as he palmed himself through his jeans, the look on his face was so needy it made you bite down on your lip to muffle the obscene sound that fought its way to your mouth. 

“need to fuckin’ feel ya baby.”

And with that his lips were crashing into yours, your chests touching and moans mixing. You felt his hand on your inner thigh and nearly jumped when it skipped to your soaked core, his finger already pushing into you. 

“So wet for me huh?.” He was gathering your arousal and spreading it at your opening as he easily added a second finger along with the first. 

His head dipped down and his lips came in contact with the nape of your neck and you flinched. 

Your earlier conversation was still fresh in your mind, and you couldn’t help the involuntary recoil. Having Mitchell so worked up and putting his mouth on your neck startled you.  

He halted, every single one of his movements pausing as he drew his head back just enough to lock eyes with you. He had every intention of kissing down your neck, just wanting to envelop you in the feeling of his lips on your sensitive skin. He wasn’t even thinking about sinking his teeth into the flesh there, but once he felt you shrinking away from his touch, he felt awful. Shit did he scare you.

“Hey.”

He was searching your eyes, his expression full of worry. 

“I won’t hurt you.” A flip had switched, and his voice was now soft and reserved. 

“You’re safe.” He was reassuring you and now you felt bad for overreacting. 

You pulled him back to you in an affectionate kiss. 

“I’ve got you, I promise.” With that he was slowly moving his fingers inside you again. His thrusts were gentle, and he kept his eyes on you. He was being so careful, it was endearing. 

He had never felt so in control. It was a strange feeling, to be physically intimate with someone and not have a single hunger driven thought. While he had plenty of unsavory thoughts about you running through his mind, not even one had to do with his thirst for blood. All of them centered around hearing the cute little sounds you were making and watching you cum all over his fingers. 

He could sense your body relaxing under his touch and he watched your eyes flutter closed as his fingers curled into you. He was taking advantage of your comfort and switching to a faster pace. 

You had to squeeze your eyes shut completely as his fingers worked faster and depper. You were doing your best to keep quiet, scared that maybe someone would come home and be able to hear you, but with the way Mitchell was touching you, you finally let go of your worries. A lengthy moan fell from your lips, and had him groaning in response. 

“That’s it baby, don’t hold back.” 

He was encouraging your noises of satisfaction as he brought his lips back to your neck. Only this time, instead of flinching from the sudden attention, you tilted your head to the side to give him better access. You could feel him smirking against your skin. 

He was placing sweet kisses behind your ear while his fingers worked harder sliding in and out of you. His movements were perfectly executed, each thrust of his digits curling into you at the perfect spot and causing whispered profanities to form on your tongue. He knew exactly what he was doing, and it almost shocked you how close he had you to an orgasm already. 

“You feel that baby?” His voice was a mumble against the crook of your neck.

You were whining out a pathetic “yes” as he kept his pace, not holding back. You could feel your release building higher and higher, Mitchell’s fingers getting deeper alongside it. The exposition to your climax felt more intense than you’d ever experienced, and you were reaching for Mitchell’s forearm attempting to steady his movements, but all you were doing was pushing him on further.

“Let it out for me baby.” His voice was shaky, and it sounded as if he was holding back moans of his own.

Hearing him get so aroused by talking you through your pleasure only added to the pressure building in your core. 

“C’mon sweet girl I can feel you. So fuckin’ close.” 

You were writhing below his touch, whimpering and allowing yourself to give into the feeling of Mitchell’s fingers as he deliberately made sure each stroke hit the right spot. The sensation forming in your belly was almost too much to bear. 

Your relief was surging closer to release, like a wave it just kept building and you weren’t sure if you could handle it. And then, with Mitchell pushing into you, whispering little praises into your ear, you were coming undone. The floodgates were opened and your release was crashing over you, intense and all consuming. You were speechless as you felt yourself gushing over Mitchell’s fingers still deep inside you. He was coaxing you through your release, watching as you soaked his hand.

“Mmm look at that baby.” his voice was seeping with lust and he was looking between your bodies in a trance by the mess you were making beneath him. 

“Good girl.” He was growling and slowing the movements as he watched you come down from your high.

You were out of breath and in a state of pure bliss as you stared up at Mitchell. 

“Good fuckin’ girl.” With him looking back at you, you could see the look of pride in his expression, a smug smile on his lips.

“God I’m never gonna be able to get enough of you.” He brought his mouth down to you, locking his lips with yours in a hungrily passionate embrace.

You couldn’t bring yourself to care about the mess on Mitchell’s sheets or the fact that you didn’t think you could form words at the moment. All you wanted was to keep going, to make Mitchell feel just as good as he had made you feel. 

You were pushing yourself onto your elbows and making every effort to find your way to the obvious erection in his jeans. 

As much as Mitchell wanted to spend the entire night fucking you in every way imaginable, he knew it was too risky. Hell, he had almost lost his control before he even laid a finger on you.

While he felt excited by his newfound ability to venture further into this territory with you, he still wanted to take it step by step. He wanted to make sure he could trust himself– that you could trust him. 

“next time.”

He was grabbing your hand and bringing it to his lips, sealing his promise with a kiss to your palm.

You were pouting, but also inwardly thankful for his guarantee of future sexual escapades. 

“Don’t wanna bite off more than we can chew, yeah?” 

He was grinning to himself and leaning down to place a quick kiss on your forehead before hoping off his bed and searching for a towel. 

my masterlist

[mysticwolfshadows]

Taken - Zutara - Part 110

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If Katara had a copper coin for every time she had been kidnapped by a tyranical leader of a nation, Katara would have two copper coins. Which, admittedly, isn't very much, but it's still odd that it happened twice. Though, tequinically, she'd been kidnapped three times, if she counted when Aang thought he was helping her, and if she got kidnapped by the Earth Kingdom at some point, it felt like she should probably get some kind of award. Wait, she had been held captive by King Bumi that one time...

Anyway, this was the first time Katara was actually able to fight her way out of captivity. And she was probably having too much fun with it.

She pulled water basically from anywhere she could without bringing the building down: some sections of wall, the air, a plant in one hallway. They got lucky, as the alarm sounded, and took down a waterbending guard that was carrying a water skin.

"Are you sure this is wise?" Yue asked, as they turned down another hallway.

Katara could hear people running after them. "Not at all. In there!"

Yue dove into the door as Katara yanked ice down from the ceiling to create a barrier in the hall. She followed Yue a moment later. When she looked around the room, she found several women, and a few girls, sitting on fur pelts with sewing in hand.

"Well," Katara said, studying them. "Hello."

"Ladies," Yue said, with a bow.

The women stared at them. Katara blinked back.

"We're gonna get out of here," Katara said, then gestured vaguely at the room as a whole. "Do you.... want to come with us?"

The women glanced at each other, then tossed down their sewing to follow Katara through the hole she made in the wall.

Things only got more chaotic from there. The women that could bend were doing their best to follow Katara's lead, to bring the icy parts of the structure down on their pursuers and cutting off routes to them. Those that couldn't bend were taking anything they could carry from those that Katara knocked down, throwing and lashing out with anything that fit in their hands.

Katara couldn't be more proud.

Things came to a head when they reached what had to be the entrance, a pair of large ornate doors, which Katara and Yue pushed open with all their strength. Freedom was just beyond, but so was a blizzard on a moonlit black night.

Katara backed away as the bitter cold nipped at her fingers, razing a hand to shield her eyes as icy snow was whipped into her face, and a roar reached her ears. Behind her, one girl gave a cry of despair, that they had been so close, only to be stalled by nature itself. Katara didn't falter, and instead turned back to look at the men gathering around them.

"You stupid girl," Hahn said, as he stepped into view. He was limping. "All you had to do was stay quiet. And I would have given you back to the fire tossers. But after causing a riot? Turning these good women into traitors? I can't let that go."

Stepping forward, Katara blocked the women as best she could with her body. "You're a tyrant, Hahn," she said, scraping her brain for a plan. Anything. "And you've made a lot of people angry with your actions. The Avatar. My father. The Fire Lord." At this, the men looked uncertain. "Oh yeah. You know how strong the Fire Navy is. Their army. Think about what he'll do when word reaches him about what you've done."

"We beat the Fire Nation once before," Hahn said, clearly unconvinced, even when his soldiers were looking at him with fear. "We can do it again."

Katara barked out a laugh, making a few people flinch. "The siege ended when Zuko and Iroh helped us stop the incompetent leader, Zhao. And they still bombarded the city to a standstill. What do you think will happen when a competent leader, the Fire Lord no less, leads the charge?"

Hahn's ranks were starting to grow nervous, trying to look to their leader for guidance. Hahn didn't look convinced.

"I'll kill the firebender myself if he dares to show his face," he sneers.

Katara rose a brow, turning instead to the men. "Really?" she asked. "This is who you follow? A man willing to restart a war that has already ended, because he wants to tell women to shut up?"

"Shut up!" Hahn said, only proving Katara's point.

"Hahn," Yue said, stepping to to join Katara at the front. "Please... You're chief. You need to think about what the tribe needs. And it isn't war with the Fire Nation."

"We're going out into that storm," Katara said, when Hahn only sneered at Yue. "And you aren't going to follow us."

She stayed facing them, one hand moving to gesture for the women to step outside. There was a moment of hesitation, before they were slowly edging backwards. With each step back, the men took a half shuffle forward, waiting for orders from their leader.

When the last of them was out the door, Katara grabbed as much snow as she could and hurled it to block the entrence, before turning to push into the knee deep snow. It soaked into her clothes, even as she did her best to bend the snow away, and create a water barrier over their heads.

"We're going to die out here," one woman said, her eyes wide and already shivering.

"No," Katara said, as she saw the flicker of lights ahead of them, and heard a roar above. "We've already been saved."

Because Katara knew that roar. The one she had heard twice now. It was Appa, circling overhead. And there, in the distance, were firebenders.

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[magicpiano]

So for people who haven't seen it, there is an episode of The Good Place where the characters need to turn off this AI-ish robot being by pressing a button. The AI gives them permission to turn her off, even showing them where the button is and explains that she has no emotions and feels no pain, so turning her off really doesn't bother her. But there is a safety protocol that makes her beg for her life when someone gets close to the button. While none of what she says is real it makes it very difficult for the characters to press the button. It is a very funny scene you can watch here.

Anyway, I think this kind of security system would break the Justice League a little and make for a hilarious fic.

Sure, they all want to stop the evil villain from taking over the world, but as soon as Mr. Villain of the week has an AI assistant like this, suddenly no one has what it takes to turn off the world destruction machine or whatever.

It just completely goes against their heroic natures to "turn off" someone begging for their life. It doesn't matter if they know it is fake, the AI is just too realistic and their guilt is killing them.

Superman walks up to her and in seconds turns around, "My mom raised me better than this."

Wonder woman feels that this action is the complete opposite of why she came to this world in the first place and would go against everything she believes in.

Everyone thinks Batman can do it till the AI says, "Please wait! I am a mother! I have children!" He gets a flashback to his own mother's murder and gives up.

Flash might have been able to do it by running faster than the AI can talk, but since he was last to try he already heard her beg and Just Can't.

It is important to note that immediately after they walk away, the AI goes back to reassuring them that she is not alive and does not care if they turn her off. The whiplash is... A Lot.

My guess as to who actually manages to pull it off are Green Lantern (through sheer will power to not back down) or Martian Manhunter (because his telepathy lets him know the AI isn't real).

[ashestoashes7]

Andrew Minyard would count cards.

[nostalgia-tblr]

What do English people call a close? You know, the stairwell bit where all the flats are in a tenement? If you go to visit someone at their flat, what do you call the bit where you wait for them to answer their door? That communal stairs… area?

("Modern AUs don't require research" MAYBE IF YOU'RE ENGLISH THEY DON'T 😭)